happiness Archives - My Inner Shakti

The world is a crazy place right now. And just when you think it can’t get any crazier, it does.

For better or worse, I’m the kind of person who can’t easily shrug off the things that are happening “out there.” In my opinion, there is no “out there.” While it’s not healthy to focus on the pain, fear, negativity, etc., it’s also not right to ignore it all. Maybe it’s just me, but I haven’t found the right balance of feeling/understanding/processing everything and living/doing/moving forward. Perhaps there is no balance…perhaps it’s about learning how to do both concurrently.

Anyways, I don’t know what the answer is, but I do know that by choosing to focus on things that make me happy (and fill me with gratitude), I’m able to stay positive (most of the time!) and see the light. And in this crazy world, that’s often the only thing we can do.

So with that, I want to share the top 5 things making me happy right now…

1 – Being in Chicago

Big shocker, right?! But seriously, there’s something truly magical about this city. Even though we’ve been here for over a month now, I still can’t believe we get to call this place home for the next few years.

2 – Seeing Roshni and Samir

If you’re a long time reader of MIS, you know that Roshni is one of my very best friends. You may or may not recall that her and her husband used to live in Chicago. Basically, they moved back to Atlanta a year before we moved to Chicago. Like ships sailing in the night. 🙁

Luckily, Rosh and Samir love Chicago and are planning to visit a lot! They’re going to be in town this weekend, so we’re meeting them up for dinner tonight. And the fun doesn’t end there. Rosh is coming back in a month and spending a whole weekend with me. Woot woot!

3 – Seeing our families this weekend in St. Louis

Aek, Adarsh, Vishnu, and I are driving to St. Louis tomorrow morning. Adarsh’s parents are hosting a religious ceremony at the temple for the newlyweds. The best part is that my parents and Vishnu’s parents will also be there! I’m really looking forward hanging out with everyone and hopefully eating some delicious South Indian food.

4 – Learning that a coworker wants to be part of a two person book club with me.

I haven’t picked up a book in SO long which is unfortunate given how much I love to read. Thankfully, one of my coworkers and I figured out that the two of us love to read books AND discuss them at length, so we’re starting our very own book club. Lunchtime is about to get pretty deep!

If you have any book recs, please leave a comment!

5 – Listening to Donovan Livingston’s Harvard commencement speech.

There really are no words! But if I had to pick one, it’d be powerful.

Your turn – what’s making you happy right now?

Early on in life, being picky is usually seen as negative thing. For example, toddlers can be picky eaters and that can oftentimes pose a problem for parents.

Even later in life, I’ve had several friends be told that they’re too picky because they aren’t married yet. (Side note: I mean, I get that parents worry, but really? Too picky about who you’re going to spend the rest of your life with? Hmm…)

Now that I’m in my thirties, I consider pickiness to be a positive attribute. I know it’s cliché, but you only get this one life. There are no second chances or do overs. That’s why I’m not going to apologize for being picky about the following three things. In fact, I’m only going to be pickier from here on out!

TIME

Like it is with so many other things in life, we oftentimes don’t respect time until it’s a thing of the past. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Time is precious.

And that’s exactly why I want to be pickier about how I spend my time. Admittedly, I’m not the best at this. However, I’m trying to be more present and aware of how I choose to spend my free time. If I find myself aimlessly watching TV or surfing the internet, I check in and ask myself if this is really what I want to be doing right now. If the answer is yes, then I continue on. If the answer is no, I turn my attention to something more meaningful.

I’m also trying to be better about prioritizing my time so that it’s not always filled with other people’s agenda items. This ensures that the ever important “me” activities don’t get pushed to the back burner.

PEOPLE

Over the past couple of years, I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that one of the best things you can do is be picky about who you let into your life.

I used to be the kind of person that wanted everyone to be a part of her life. Even if people didn’t return the favor, I’d do my absolute best to keep in touch. I’d also make excuses for people who were less than kind. And those excuses usually resulted in me blaming myself for their behavior. One word comes to mind when I think of those days…EXHAUSTING!

So now, I’m choosing to be picky not only about who comes into my life but also who stays. I’m trying very hard to be more positive, grounded and zen. The last thing I need is someone else’s negative energy. And by no means am I saying that I only want positive people all the time. In fact, that wouldn’t be very authentic at all. I guess my point is that if someone’s overall vibe is negative, I don’t want or need it.

LIFE IS TOO DAMN SHORT!

MONEY

I’m a firm believer in that money (aka “things”) can’t buy happiness. In my 31 years, I’ve seen plenty of unhappy people with plenty of money and “things.” I’ve also seen lots of happy people with very little in terms of the things money can buy. Now, I know this isn’t as black and white as I’m making it seem, but overall, when I reflect on the happiest/most fulfilling moments in my life, they had nothing to do with the things money can buy. They did, however, have to do with an experience of some sort. And I totally acknowledge that some experiences in life require a little dough!

Vishnu and I are ridiculously fortunate in terms of our finances. Don’t get me wrong. We aren’t bringing in the big bucks by any means, but for the most part, money isn’t something we worry about regularly. However, that doesn’t mean we can/should spend freely on “things.” In fact, my goal with our next move is to get rid of as many “things” as possible.

What I do want is for us to be pickier about how we prioritize between things and experiences. For example, I splurged a little for better seats at the Aziz Ansari show this weekend because I know it’s going to be a fun experience for both me and Vishnu. AND it’s his birthday! Travel is another experience I want us to prioritize. Our trip to Italy, while expensive, was beyond amazing! The memories we created will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Sometimes “things” are necessary and even warranted, but when it comes to how you choose to spend your money, prioritize and pick experiences over “things.” Trust me, you’re guaranteed to get a better happiness return!

Thanks for reading and happy Friday!

Do you find yourself getting pickier as you get older? How so?