Eternal Life Hacks to Form Happiness as a Habit

If you’ve come here hoping to learn how to seek happiness every day and change your life forever … sorry, you’re lost- Wrong blog. I know, the title tricked you, but let’s be real, “Happiness as a habit” sounds like something you’d read on a scented candle label or a fridge magnet with a dolphin jumping out of the ocean.

I don’t have hacks. I barely have functioning adult skills. But if you’re new here, don’t leave yet. Stay. You might find something unusual here that makes you smile. Or cry. Either way, that’s three minutes of emotion, which is basically happiness in this economy.

Now, here’s the thing. For most of my life, I’ve actually been happy. Not because I had it all figured out, but because I was blissfully broke and too naive to care. I remember my first job, earning peanuts, or more like the peanut shells. And yet, those were my happiest times.

Fresh out of college, living in a big city, making just enough money to feel independent but not enough to be responsible. I’d work my nine hours, then travel some 15 km to dance classes, come back half-dead with hunger, and find my dearest friend/roommate/literally a mom-avatar waiting with food on the table.

Who needs therapy when you have a roommate that doubles as your unpaid life manager?

And before you get all jealous- Relax! I’ve had my share of dumb, mean, and truly nightmare roommates. This one was like a cosmic fluke, which was either a reward for my good karma or a punishment for her past deeds. A win-win for me.

However, after these blissful times came promotions and bigger paychecks, and with that, my definition of happiness updated(more like a badly timed software update).

Suddenly, happiness took the form of spontaneous trips to Goa, subscribing to every OTT platform known to mankind, and buying gifts for family and friends and their family and their friends(don’t ask, that was a phase).

I remember blowing my entire first salary on booking a five-star family getaway.

Was it reckless? Could argue.

Did I get scolded? Obviously.

But was it worth it? umm … hello a big YESS !!

And C’mon, when has happiness been fiscally responsible?

But then come the Pinterest quotes slapped on tote bags, t-shirts, mugs, and now on Insta stories: | “Happiness is a choice” | “Happiness is within” | And my absolute least favourite: |“You can be happy wherever you are.” |

Oh really? Wherever I am? Even when I’m stuck in Bangalore traffic with a dead phone and a full bladder? News flash: NO.

This feels like a scam. It is a brilliant billion-dollar business model. It’s propping up industries, tanking economies, and convincing you that buying a lavender-scented candle is “self-care.” Please.

What do you mean you can choose happiness? Did you choose it when your landlord raised the rent? Or when your favourite restaurant shut down overnight without even a goodbye discount? Or when you got thrown out in a mass layoff just AFTER FINALLY LEARNING EVERYONE’S NAMES AT WORK?

Huh. Not even sorry for the rant. It’s all coming straight from my professional degree in trauma life.

The truth is, happiness takes effort. And fine, I’ll admit it, one of those tote bag quotes actually makes sense. It does come from within. But what they don’t tell you is: it’s still work.

According to the secret law of the universe, you’ll reach absolute happiness when your circumstances stop dictating how you respond, and instead, your response starts changing the vibe around you.

Until I reach this state of zen(which, they say, is possible- just not happening right now), I’m resorting to, as they call it, ‘relative happiness’. And that, my friend, is no easy road either.

It’s dragging yourself out of bed to hit the gym for those damn endorphins. It’s spending half an hour scrolling through Zomato, comparing discounts, before finally ordering that biryani. It’s hustling for that “dream job” that, let’s be honest, will slowly suck out your soul while giving you just enough salary to recover on weekends.

Also, there’s no such recipe for eternal happiness. If there were, it would’ve been bottled up and sold in Sephora by now.

But if I sit down to think what makes me happy, even if momentarily, the list goes long and deeply random: sunshine after a week of rain, complimentary breakfasts in overpriced hotels, Limca-filled Pani-Puri, and yes, writing this piece right now while pretending I don’t have 47 other things to do.

Happiness keeps showing up in ridiculous places. It is the journey, the pitstop, and the destination. Maybe that’s the only hack.

So, if you’ve made it this far and managed to smile, sigh, or roll your eyes at least once, congratulations- You just borrowed a tiny slice of my happiness. You’re welcome.