In the past ten years, I was fortunate to have the chance to travel the world and live in different countries. Experience different cultures and mentalities. Practice different languages and the most important, study the human mindset and try to understand what makes a person happy. Alternatively, unhappy.
I hear the same question from people again and again, “So, where is the best place to be happy at?” Truth is, there is no such thing as the best place that brings you happiness. The happiness is inside of me. Every place that I lived in left a stamp on me, taught me something new and influenced my personality. I kept wondering around until I found a place, which satisfied all my requirements and needs but that does not make other places less good. I was happy in all of them; I just did not want to stay. I felt that I have to keep walking.
As Leo Tolstoy said, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”.
The Israeli writer Eric Weiner paraphrased it in his book, into, “All miserable countries are similar; all the happy ones, are happy in their own way”.
Weiner describes in his book his travels around the world, searching for the happiest places in the world. He describes happiness in Holland as a number. In Sweden, happiness is a bore. In Qatar, happiness is winning the lottery. According to his observation, happiness in Moldova is in another place. In Thailand, happiness is not thinking. And so the list goes on.
The countries happiness descriptions are a mirror of many people’s inner feeling.
I will just say wherever you are. Be happy. Happiness is just inside of us, and it is a choice.