The Secret Story, by Bhavna Mishra

This article has been submitted by Bhavna Mishra for the CLATGyan Blog Post Writing Competition. If you think this article is a good read, ‘Like’ this article on Facebook (the button is at the bottom of this piece) or post a comment using the ‘comments’ section below.

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I decided the title long before I pondered over the content of this article. Weird, right? So what will I be rambling about? Life, yes – this beautiful journey.

All around us, we find three types of people:-

The happy ones: These people will have their own set of beliefs that guarantee their personal contentment. They see life through rose coloured glasses- la vie en rose. Yes, a tragedy will bring them down – but only for a moment. The next day they convince themselves it’s for the greater good and will bounce back, stronger than before.

The prosaic ones: They amble through life, appearing disconnected. They neither smile nor scowl more than that is necessary and maintain an enviable air of nonchalance. They are average people with average lives, the kind that you don’t really notice in a crowd.

The crappy ones:  These people live in perpetual self-pity and go around blaming the world for their circumstances. Even before seeing them, you feel them – you feel the constant negative vibes they emit. They never feel good about themselves, constantly intimidated by someone or the other who they are convinced is better looking / taller / richer / brighter than them. When something good does happen in their sorry life, they rub it in your face ad nauseum and display disproportionate giddy emotions propelled by insecurity.  Someone of your acquaintance surely belongs to this category. Feel no negative vibes from anyone? Beware, you might be the one emitting them.

(Note:  People belonging to Category 3 should be tested for schizophrenia immediately)

The most amazing aspect is that this universal classification is mostly independent of any other factors. I have met the most intelligent crappy and the dumbest happy people. I’ve seen the richest depressed person and the poorest prosaic at heart. The only essential factor is the state of mind.

No, I will not give a lecture about how to change your life. Go look up Robin Sharma and Rhonda Byrne for that. This article is only a reminder how small things can make a huge difference and can bring you to Category 1–

1.  A walk around the park, instead of video games or burying your nose in a book. (Except when you have an exam the next day, in which case why are you even reading this?)
2.  Quality time spent with family instead of so called ‘friends’.
3.  Quality time spent with yourself. Some people go through their entire lives not knowing who they are or what their inner self vehemently wants. Don’t be one of them.
4. And lastly, abandon the belief that with money comes happiness. Isn’t  the chasing of material goods actually just a pursuit of happiness?

But us folks have got it all wrong. Only by changing our state of mind and finding happiness in everything we do can we attract the means for even more happiness in our lives – love, money, etc.

Happiness is NOW. TODAY.

It’s not a pot of gold at the end of an imaginary rainbow. It’s not at the end of a gruelling goal. Find yourself and you’ll find happiness.

And hence, my friends, ends   the secret story.  The Secret Story of Life.

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Bhavna Mishra is an optimistic law school aspirant, highly spiritual since the age of 10. She has devoured story books since kindergarten and would bring Jane Austen back to life, if possible, to know her acerbic views on 21st century’s hypocrite society. She feels that a few lines are not adequate to describe her eccentricities.