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When I had my first job back when I was 19, I had a conversation with a coworker about happiness. I can't really remember how the conversation went but her remarks on what happiness meant to her stayed with me forever. For her, happiness was not a constant state but a sum of moments. When she looked back, if she was able to count more happy moments than sad moments in her life then she felt content. Whenever I am going through a tough time in my life, I always remember her words and count the happy moments in my life. It never fails, I have a lot to be grateful for.
I have everything I need. And, even if this statement is not entirely true it does feel that way. Not long ago, I read that happiness is the difference between what you have and your definition of enough. The less you need, the more you have. Maybe this is why I feel that I have it all. But, in the words of Michelle Obama, if you have it all that means that someone else has nothing.
This has been an important lesson in times when so many inequalities have come to light. People who work as hard as I do and who have the same set of skills that I have are not given the same opportunities. And this realisation has given me a purpose and a mission to help others via mentoring, skills share and peer support. You climb and then you lift others with you. It is the only way our communities will thrive.
I am aware that this self-reflection is a difficult exercise, especially in times like these when we are going through a prolonged period of instability and collective grief. The experiences that we've lived over the last year can easily cloud the view of everything that we have that we should be grateful for. My only wish for you at the end of 2020 is that, by looking back and reviewing your life, your happy moments outdo the not-so-happy ones. Happy Holidays and may 2021 be everything that you wished 2020 would be.
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