What are the simplest things one can do to make oneself happier?

Donna, Mother of two sons, Youth meditation instructor

Had it not been for Coronavirus, I would have given a lecture on how to live happily as a special lecturer at intermediate school by now.

When I was a teenager, I thought life was always boring, that the world was absurd, and there were too many restrictions to find my dreams.

My adolescence was very normal. In order to go to a good university, I worked hard to prepare for the entrance exam, and when I went to college, I spent time with alcohol and love. After graduation, I entered a suitable company and worked to earn a salary. From my own perspective, I thought I was a noble person with creativity and justice, but it seemed the world treated me as one person in 7 billion people.

When I started to feel the difference between my thoughts and reality, I started meditation. It started with vague expectations, I didn’t realize it would be a breakthrough in a boring life.

The meditation that began with vague expectations has given me so many gifts. It has given me endless enlightenment and peace of mind. I could move away from thinking and seeing the world from only my point of view and could think from the perspective of others. I could see the world much more broadly.

For example, I majored in film in college, and the reason I chose to direct film was purely to earn honour. I wanted to gain fame by solving my deepest desires through making movies. I am not currently engaged in filmmaking, but when I watch movies I no longer see them from my personal point of view and greed. It is now possible to enjoy various opinions and viewpoints of people.

When I meet students in intermediate school, I always tell them: "You are not aware of the infinite possibilities inside you". Certainly, everyone has true potential and possibilities within them.

It is important to do even small things toward your dreams. That little action may be meditation to help look back on yourself. I don't think meditation has to be a grand thing. Even in a very small way, I think all of our lives are meditation. Even thoughts passing by are also valuable. It is enough if we can show true repentance and pure gratitude even in the very shortest moment.

Coronavirus has made it so hard for us in recent years.

The film director, which was a dream in my teens and twenties, disappeared from my life in my mid-forties, but gratitude and the importance of everyday life arose.

Let's start again this year. Thank you to all of you living somewhere in the world for reading my article.