Happiness = Being Present

Ever since I was a child, my father has told me that the only thing he wants for me is to be happy. Back then, it felt easy—I was always happy. But as I grew older, I realized that happiness became harder to hold on to.

Monkey Mind

One of the biggest reasons is the constant stream of thoughts in my mind. As I’ve grown, my thoughts often drift to the past—filled with longing and regret—or race ahead to the future, crowded with plans and worries. I worry about losing the people I love, about unfinished tasks, about how others perceive me, and even about things that may never happen. I make plans for “what ifs,” trying to prepare for the unexpected. But these relentless thoughts keep me from being fully present. They make it hard to appreciate the here and now. Instead, they bring anxiety and quietly steal away my happiness.

I know I’m not alone in this. We’re all shaped by our DNA and early environments. We store memories of good and bad experiences, and we use them—often unconsciously—to prejudge everything that comes our way. We lean on the past to predict and try to control the future. And as we age, the sum of our accumulated preferences, fears, and habits grows immense. These conditioned reactions become runaway trains that hijack our emotions and mindset. That’s why, as we grow older, our minds can slip more easily into a restless, monkey-like mode—constantly jumping, anticipating, reacting.

We should learn to take back control of our minds. And the first, most powerful step is awareness. The truth is, we don't live enough in awareness. We live too much in this internal monologue in our heads. All of which is just programmed into us by DNA, society, and the environment when we were younger. Notice the thoughts that constantly run through our mind, and look beneath them—at the unsolved pain, errors, fears, and desires that fuel them, and bring them into awareness. You have to see this mad creature in operation before you feel a certain distaste toward it and start separating yourself from it. Awareness alone can calm you down. Being aware that the anxiety is making you unhappy. The anxiety is just a series of running thoughts. Try to stay in this mode of awareness, rather than slipping into the "monkey mind", which is always worried, frightened, and anxious. You are more than just your mind.

Desire

Around 90% of our thoughts are rooted in fear. The remaining 10% often stems from desire. Whenever we catch ourselves wanting something, it's worth asking: Is this truly so important that I’ll be unhappy if it doesn’t go my way? Desire can be a powerful motivator, but too many desires create turmoil. Instead, choose one meaningful desire at a time—something that gives you purpose and drives you forward. We won’t always get what we want, but often, life has a way of unfolding in ways we couldn’t have planned. The sooner we accept what is, the sooner we can begin to adapt and find peace.

Everything is perfect, exactly the way it is. It’s only in our minds that things appear broken or lacking. It’s our unfulfilled desires that define whether we see something as imperfect. The world doesn’t cause our unhappiness—it mirrors the unrest within us.

When we no longer feel we’re missing something, our minds stop running to the past in regret or to the future in planning. The fewer desires we cling to, the more we can rest in the present. And in that stillness, the mind quiets—because the mind thrives only in motion, chasing what was or what might be.

Being Present

Recognizing the monkey mind and learning to manage our desires helps us live in the present. The more present I am, the happier and more content I become. Be more present in everyday reality, accept nature and the world for what it is, and appreciate as much as a child would. Too often, when we receive something, we assume the world owes it to us. If we are present, we will realize how many gifts and how much abundance surround us at all times. That's all we need to do: I am here now, and I have all these incredible things at my disposal.

Meditation has become a powerful practice for me. Every morning when I sit in stillness, I begin to notice things I used to overlook—the breeze on my skin, the sound of birds singing, the warmth of the morning sun. I feel gratitude for having cozy clothes, a comfortable place to sit, and the ability to simply be present. In those moments, I’m fully present, and everything feels complete.

To me, happiness isn’t about constant excitement or chasing goals. It’s the absence of suffering, the quieting of desire, and the release of thoughts about the past or future. It’s about embracing the present moment—fully, gently—and accepting reality just as it is.

Embrace Death

The enemy of peace of mind is expectations drilled into us by society and other people. But the truth is, life is a single-player game. You are born alone. You are going to die alone. All of your interpretations are alone. All your memories are alone. You are gone in three generations, and nobody cares. Before you showed up, nobody cared. It's all single player.

So embrace that. Embrace death. Your life is a brief flicker—a firefly's blink in the vast darkness of time. If you fully acknowledge the futility of what you are doing, it will bring peace and happiness. What truly matters is that you experience your reality as you go through your life. Why not interpret it in the most positive way?

A happy person is someone who effortlessly interprets events in such a way that they don't lose their inner peace. Almost every situation carries something positive—growth, humility, resilience, perspective. Track your past moments of suffering. How many truly mattered? What happened? What's the positive aspect of that situation? Every second you have on this planet is very precious, and it's your responsibility to make sure you are happy and interpreting everything in the best possible way.

The only thing that exists is this exact point where you are in the space at the exact time you happen to be there. The present is all we have.