“If the Universe was to grant you only one wish, what would you desire?”, Maya asked excitedly.

“If it’s only one thing that I can ask for, then I would want to be happy always”, replied Nitya in a poised manner.

If the same question was to be asked to all of us, most of us will give the same answer as Nitya.

Amidst the maze of all the wordly pleasures and desires, stands happiness, the most pursued emotion of all.

Then why is it that everyone seeks happiness the most and yet end up not experiencing it?

How come the plethora of goods, appliances, facilities, comforts & luxuries of life, all fail to bring this happiness to us in the long run?

And why does this term has different meanings for different people? Why can’t it be defined properly by a single definition?

Well, the answer lies not in any text book or scripture but within all of us.

It is our understanding of this journey of life and the world around us that encompasses the answers to all these questions.

There is no hidden treasure lying under the sea or in the mountains in some corner of the World that will bring to us the secret answers.

If at all there is some treasure then it is within us and it is with introspection that we will find all the answers that we have been seeking from time immemorial.

While we experience the present moment, technically there is no future that lies ahead nor is there any past which we have left behind.

The past is nothing but our memory. If we erase it, there exists no past. Similarly, there is no future as of now. It is we who are going to build it day by day for ourselves. Thus it is only our present moment that is the truth.

So if neither the past nor the future exists as of now, we are completely free to live the moment and do whatever we want in this present of ours.

The Past takes away with itself all the emotional experiences of sorrow, hurt, excitement, passion, anger or whatever once existed and the future in its present dormant state buries down the feelings of worry, anxiety, stress or hopelessness.

Now only present remains and it is up to us whether we want to experience happiness or something else right now. In this present moment, we will always have the choice to experience the emotion that we want to experience.

If right now, you choose to experience sorrow, you can. Just think about how X or Y betrayed you when you needed them the most in your life and that single thought will bring you enough sorrow to last an evening.

If you choose to be anxious, you can be. Start thinking about how you’re going to pay your car loan EMI, your child’s school fees and the hefty amount of electricity bill, when you’re already running short of money this month. This one thought will begin a trail of negative thoughts which will provide you with all the anxiety that you desired. It’s not going to help you though but only add to the existing stress.

You name the emotion and there are plenty of ways in which you will be able to experience it.

But ask yourself first― what is that emotion which I truly want to live right now?

The answer will never be anger, sadness, despondency or hatred.

Each soul desires happiness, joy and bliss. If you’ll ever ask, that will be your soul’s honest answer every time.

How you experience joy is personal to you. A cup of your favourite tea or coffee, a soothing walk in your society’s park, finishing your assignments on time, slogging an extra hour to make your presentation stand out the next day in office or having a really long conversation with your bestfriend, any of these might bring you enormous happiness.

What puts you in bliss is something that only you know. Asking yourself and exploring it further with a touch of novelty is the best way to go about it.

And once you have got the answer, there are many ways to experience that emotion and you know them well. You have sought them in the past and you can always seek them in the future that you build with this beautiful present!