What is the biggest destroyer of happiness?
A Story With A Valuable Lesson
There was a boy who was always happy and cheerful. One day, he asked an old man, "Sir, what is the biggest destroyer of happiness?
I have a happy nature and I'm always chatting and laughing. However, I fear that one day, I'll become sad and sorrowful. Tell me how to stay happy and positive every day."
The old man thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll tell you what you want to know. But before I tell you, you have to agree to do something for me."
The boy, smiling at the old man’s serious face, asked, "Okay, sir, what is it?"
The old man replied, "There's an empty drum in my backyard. I want you to fill it up with water. I'm too old and weak to fetch water from the river. If you do that, I'll reward you with two coins. Two coins, all for you, boy!"
Excited and enthusiastic, as he was in great need of money, the boy grabbed a bucket and hurried down to the stream to fetch the water. A short while later, he returned to the old man and said he had filled the drum with water.
The old man then said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, there is another empty drum in my kitchen. Would you mind filling it up as well? I'll offer you another two coins as a reward, a total of four coins! You'll be able to buy a lot of things with that money. Four coins, all for you, boy!"
Determined to get the four coins, the boy quickly took the bucket and rushed down to the stream. In no time, he had filled the second drum with water. However, when he returned to the old man, he said, "Oh my goodness, I'm such a forgetful old man! I forgot that there is another empty drum in my garden. If you can fill it up with water too, I'll add an extra two coins to your reward, making it six coins altogether. Six coins, all for you, boy!"
Cheerful excitement flashed across the boy's face. Thinking about what he would buy with all the money, he couldn't control his emotions. He quickly filled up the third drum and returned to the old man, tired and exhausted. Instead of offering the boy the six coins, the old man frowned and mumbled, "Oh no, I think I'm the most forgetful old man in the whole world! I forgot that I have no coins with me. I'm so broke, I don't have any money to give you. I'm sorry, but you have to go home empty-handed! Nothing for you, boy!"
Upon hearing that, the smile on the boy's face vanished, replaced with a look of sad surprise. His happiness was completely lost, replaced with sadness and disappointment.
Then, the old man hugged him tightly for a moment, then smiled broadly and said, "Don't worry, boy! The truth is, I do have some coins for you! Everything I did was intended to teach you a valuable lesson about life. When you asked me about the biggest destroyer of happiness, I came up with a plan to make you sad, so that I could teach you properly.
Listen, the biggest destroyer of happiness is your EXPECTATIONS. It's because you expected six coins from me that you became sad when you didn't get them. When we do something for others, we tend to expect something in return, which may not happen. Our expectations are often too high or unrealistic. We expect people to love us because we love them. We expect people to be good to us because we are good to them.
We expect things to always go our way. All of these expectations can easily cause frustration, disappointment, discouragement, stress, anger, and resentment. However, if we lower our expectations of people and understand that they won't always live up to them, we can stay happy in life."
The boy listened intently, absorbing the lesson. Then the old man added, "And speaking of staying happy and positive, always surround yourself with things that bring light into your life. For example, you can buy our MINI LED Lamp @ Panda Cozy Corner. They save energy, last longer, and brighten up your home, making it a cheerful place every day.
Cheers
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