The Happiness Mantra – Make No Excuses…!!!

“Ninety-nine percent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses.” – George Washington

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” – Muhammad Ali

Appreciate what you have and keep scouting for more and better opportunities. There are very few things in the world that you might be good at but it is very important to have mastery over those few things. Every now and then I have observed that the biggest satisfaction in life comes from doing and if it’s your favourite work then nothing could be better than that. And the truth is that happy people are the most successful people, they don’t make excuses, they neither crib nor complain because they know how to find happiness in small things. To achieve big you have to constantly win small battles inside and outside of you because we always have two choices either to make excuses and run away or do the job without mourning.

On staying happy while executing here are few lines I would like to embed from, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s speech, “I like doing my work and I believe I’m a very positive person, I do face difficulties in life but I don’t get bothered by them, and keep mind-numbing thoughts at bay. Deluge of tumultuous things happen day after day but I remain composed and do my work. I am the happiest person I know.”

So think a little less about dealing with distractions and work little more on managing your moods. As studies demonstrate happiness increases productivity and makes you more successful.

As Shawn Achor describes in his book ‘The Happiness Advantage':

Doctors put in a positive mood before making a diagnosis show almost three times more intelligence and creativity than doctors in a neutral state, and they make accurate diagnoses 19% faster. Optimistic salespeople outsell their pessimistic counterparts by 56%. Students primed to feel happy before taking math achievement tests far outperform their neutral peers. It turns out that our brains are literally hardwired to perform at their best not when they are negative or even neutral, but when they are positive.

“Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present.” – Jim Rohn
What we have is far better than what we don’t have but it is not untypical that most people realize bit late in life, as the old Persian proverb goes, “I cursed the fact I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.” Here is a short story on staying happy, for most of us are in search of happiness but the real happiness, that we overlook, is within:

“A man lived with his wife and five children in a small hut. Ever frustrated at his lot in life, who believed he was a jinx. Like most of us, he yearned for a bigger house, less noise, and more wealth and peace. On learning that an acclaimed guru had come to live nearby, he rushed to him with his tale of misery and said, “Guruji, I can’t even recite my mantras in peace. I am really fed up of this life. Please help me.”

The guru chuckled and said he could solve his problem “But you have to follow my instructions exactly as I say for a month,” he stressed.

The man agreed thankfully.

“First, bring a cow to the house,” the guru instructed. “Tie it inside the house and serve it with hay every day,” he said and asked him to come back after ten days. The man did as he was told in spite of the difficulty of accommodating a mooing cow in his small house.

After ten days, the guru asked him to get a dog in the house, and return after another ten days.

The man did that too.

The next time, the instruction was to bring in a pig.

The man suffered the mooing, barking, grunting animals, waiting for the end of torturous month.

Finally, the guru asked him to release all the animals.

On doing so, it seemed as if his house was heaven on earth. “Don’t you feel happy now?” the guru asked, seeing his elated face the next day, and rest is obvious.

“It is only adverse circumstances that make us realize how fortunate we are to have what we have. While we may aspire for greater comfort, it is contentment alone that is the key to happiness.”

It won’t be wrong to say that most people reading this blog are immensely blessed and have all the more reasons to stay happy. But this is also true that a tiniest of problem can make people unhappy, just in case, a rude behaviour from a friend, scolding from teacher or may be shoe bite. However hard we try we will easily find reasons to stay unhappy and contemplate on what we already have.

Here is a short video of Kyle Maynard, 28, a motivational speaker, best-selling author, and ESPY Award-winning mixed martial arts athlete, known for becoming the first quadruple amputee to ascend Mount Kilimanjaro without the aid of prosthetics. He made his handicap his strength and happily overcame all the obstacles in his life. Though he can’t walk or play like us, he has a very unusual lifestyle still he is the best. Undoubtedly, it is my belief that after watching this video you will be able to cast away those zilch thoughts and bring some impetus in your life.

The happiness Mantra Kyle has learned in the 28 years in his life is to ‘stay happy and make no excuses,’ and to spread his message he has authored a best selling autobiography – No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha

Life can be overwhelming. Hope can be lost. Weather can be treacherous. Whether you’re facing a little self-doubt, an extended depression, or the darkest of thoughts, I suggest you must watch the above video and share if you really like it.

Good luck, everyone, with whatever battles you’re fighting inside or outside of you.

You are not alone.