A scientist thousands of kilometers away has discovered that your happiness curve looks like the letter U. We begin and end our journey with happiness—but along the way, we may face certain challenges.
As children, we have a high happiness quotient—we smile and laugh all the time for no reason. For elderly people too, happiness lies simply in being—in a toothless smile, silver hair, and soft, wrinkled skin.
Often, somewhere along life’s path, we find ourselves confused. We don’t know what we want, when we want it, how to get it, or whether we really need it at all.
There’s an old lady with a young soul who’s just waiting to see you smile. This grandmother simply wants to see you happy again. She has some timeless secrets of happiness to share with you—and she wants you to be happy right now.
She’s had her own ups and downs, her share of difficult moments, but she knows how to smile through them all. Her main secret is: “True happiness is within me, not around me.”
She complements this essential truth with a few more secrets she’d love to pass on.
Grandma’s Secret #1
Ordinary Things, Extraordinary Experiences
For Grandma, happiness is amplified because she finds immense joy in the small gifts of life. Her grandchildren may find her joys silly or boring—"Oh, young people say— I need something larger than life to make me happy!" And in that search for something big, they somehow forget that happiness begins with us.
Grandma wants the best, no matter how little time she may have left—and that makes even a small hug from her granddaughter a deeply fulfilling experience.
Can we follow in Grandma’s footsteps? Yes, we can—but only if we realize that happiness doesn’t diminish with time, because we are the source of our happiness.
Grandma has no expectations. She accepts her family just as they are and doesn’t try to control them to make her happy. She’s wise enough to understand that acceptance is the intelligent way to live. She lives by: “I am happy, no matter what.”
She wants you to sit quietly for a moment and talk to yourself: “Do I remember that hug from Mom after the exam I thought I failed? Oh, how I wished I could hold on to it forever… She hugs me every day, but that one was special. Why? Because I recognized it as exactly what I needed in that moment.”
Being in the present and appreciating life’s “ordinary” gifts is what makes them extraordinary.
Grandma’s Secret #2
What’s Mine Is Definitely Yours
Grandma believes in caring and sharing small acts of kindness. A smile on your face is enough to light hers. She lives by the idea: “What’s mine is definitely yours,” and loves to share. To her, happiness means contentment—a peace within—and that peace comes from making others happy.
She wants to know—would you share the secret to your success with your colleagues? That’s sharing. That’s service. As Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, “Love in action is service.” Grandma lives by these words.
Grandma’s Secret #3
Grandma Loves Meditation
Despite her age, Grandma prefers a disciplined life and wakes up each day with a positive thought: “It’s going to be a great day. What a beautiful morning!” As part of her daily routine, she meditates—meditation is her best friend.
It takes her deep within, where her inner voice tells her, “You are happiness, and you are here to make others happy. This life is a gift, a treasure—cherish it.” Meditation sets the tone for her day.
Have you ever tried meditating to start your day? If you asked Grandma for the shortest path to happiness, she’d say it’s discovering that you are your own source of joy, especially when you touch that beautiful space of deep meditative silence.
