ART OF BEING HAPPY
Taking my first catches with a cricket ball as a seven year old, I never dreamt of playing for the country. All I wanted then was to take more and more catches and not drop a single one. I was happy.
The years went by and the stakes became higher. The competition got tougher, to find place in different age group squads, then make it to the first XI and then perform to make sure I get picked for the next level. The joy of just latching onto that ball faded with the passage of time.
I didn’t have the time to even wonder whether I was really happy. If at all the thought crossed my mind, I imagined I would be happiest if I managed to play even a single game for the country. God was as kind as he usually is. I played for India for a full year.
But then I dropped and I felt it was the worst situation in my life. I asked myself, if I had to be dropped eventually, then why did I played for India in the first place? I blamed God for being cruel and unjust without realizing that God cannot be cruel because he gave us free will. Our choices and consequences lie with us.
Getting dropped from the team was heart breaking. The same people who praised me a few months ago were now baying for my blood. I thought life couldn’t get worse and forgot how lucky I was. In the midst of all this, I was introduced to a course in meditation. And unexpectedly I managed to find myself. Besides meditation and constructive breathing, my course taught me not to expect anything because that spoils one’s joy. At first it seemed a tough story to follow. How can a student not expect good marks after working hard throughout the year?
But happiness isn’t a sure thing even after getting good marks. Immediately you will focus your happiness on getting admission to the best college. In cricket too, as soon as you score a century, you will want to make it a big one and the joy disappears.
If you trually enjoy every moment of study or batting, you will always be happy.