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About Happiness....

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About Happiness....

Mid Week Musings #296

Alan Jones PhD FRSA
Mar 8
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About Happiness....

www.alanjones.blog
low-angle photo of pink and orange balloons
Photo by Madison Oren on Unsplash

There was once a group of 100 people attending a seminar on personal development.

In the middle of their talk, the speaker stopped and decided to run an impromptu group activity.

She handed out a balloon to each attendee and told them to write their name on it.

The balloons are then collected and placed in an adjacent room.

The speaker then invited the attendees to enter that room and, in 5 short minutes, find the balloon with their name on it.

Pandemonium broke loose

The attendees charged in, pushing, playfully jostling and olliding with each other as they searched for their names.

5 minutes pass and nobody succeeded.

The speaker then told each person to pick up a random balloon and give it to the person whose name is written on it.

Within a few minutes, everyone had their balloon back.

She then said,

“What just happened with those balloons is exactly what happens in our search for happiness. We frantically look for it all around us, not knowing where it is.”

“Yet our happiness lies in the happiness of others. By giving them their happiness, you get yours.”

Moral of the story:

Happiness and fulfilment rarely come from selfish pursuits, but almost always come from doing good deeds for others. By helping others we help ourselves.

Alan /|\

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