“When going through an enduring and painful situation, stop wishing that it did not exist. It is this wanting, this desire, that causes your suffering. Instead, deal with each day, doing whatever you can do in the given circumstances. Do your best. And leave the rest, the outcomes, to Life. This is how you flow with Life, at its pace, peacefully, calmly.” PainHappinessDesireLife LessonsSufferingFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaThe Happynesswalas Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Just as you learn cooking, swimming or driving, you learn to be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering. These are Life skills too. Over time, through repeated practice, you gain mastery over them. And that’s how you learn to be happy despite your circumstances.” HappinessLife LessonsSufferingWorryFrustrationAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Happiness is never about getting to some place or achieving something or getting what you want. It is being who you are, being content with what you have and being non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering!” HappinessLife LessonsSufferingWorryFrustrationAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“We don't control anything. Life just happens and we are flowing with it. But we don’t see this evident truth for what it is. Because, when we do something and it delivers a result we want, we think we caused that outcome. And when we don't get what we want, we feel that Life is unfair. But Life is not bothered – neither about our claim nor about how we feel. Life has a mind of its own; it just keeps on happening. So, the only way to inner peace is to flow with Life…doing whatever best we can in any given situation...that is the key to being non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering, to be happy despite the circumstances!” HappinessLife LessonsSufferingWorryAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaEquanimity Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Happiness is not quite about always getting what you want, or about buying stuff which you can afford, or even about being understood, recognized and celebrated by those around you. There will always be times in Life when you won’t get what you want, when you can’t even afford what you think are the basics and when you will imagine that the whole world is conspiring against you. Happiness is a decision. It is your decision. When you decide to be happy, the circumstances don’t matter. Happiness, then, is to be accepting of the Life you have, while celebrating it for what it is, and learning to be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingWorryAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Sit calmly. Take a few moments out for yourself. Look at your own Life dispassionately. And reflect on these perspectives: Is there any point in worrying; do you think you can solve any of your problems by worrying about them? Is there any point in being frustrated and angry about the way your Life has turned out to be; is there any point holding yourself or others for what has happened? Is there any point in asking Life “why” or “why me”; are you even likely to get any answers from asking Life questions? When you realize the futility of worrying, frustration and suffering, you will learn to let go and trust the process of Life. That is when you will be truly happy despite your circumstances.” HappinessLife LessonsSufferingSpiritualityWorryAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“The truth is that we humans cannot fight Life’s design. For instance, when someone’s time is up, they just have to go. When this understanding is complete, there will be a realization that carrying on grieving is futile. That’s when you exercise the choice to be non-suffering. However, being non-suffering does not mean that there will be no pain. You cannot negotiate with pain. You have to simply accept it. But when you are non-suffering your ability to accept pain and deal with it improves significantly.” PainHappinessDeathSufferingSpiritualityGriefAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalasVaani Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“What you have with you is what you need right now. Life has given you everything – and everyone – that you need. Clearly your wants have not been fulfilled. But Life’s taken care of your every need. It is in wanting what you don’t have that you grieve. It is in wanting your Life to be different from what it is now that you suffer. The choice to be non-suffering and to celebrate what you have is always with you. Exercise that choice and you will always be happy.” NeedsHappinessLife LessonsSufferingAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaWantsIntelligent Living Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Drop the 'why' and ‘why me’ questions. Stop asking ‘why’ and ‘why me’ in the context of your Life situation. Then you will not suffer. The pain will be intense. But you will not suffer. You cannot avoid pain, but you can choose not to suffer. Suffering comes from asking 'why’, ‘why me'. Suffering always magnifies the pain. Choosing to be non-suffering does not take away the pain. But it helps immensely in coping with the pain.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingSpiritualityAcceptanceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When you train your mind to be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering, you can actually be Happy ALL Year!” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingWorryInner PeaceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswalas Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“There is no way you can fast-forward your Life. When going through painful situations, as long as you are complaining about your circumstances, you will find each day long, dreary and miserable to endure. But when you immerse yourself in what you love doing, you will find that each moment is a celebration. You will then be able to flow with Life, joyously, enthusiastically.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessCelebrate LifeThe HappynesswalasThe Bliss Catchers Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Happiness is the ability to be non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering despite the circumstances. This is an art. And you learn this art by learning to train your mind.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingWorryFrustrationAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Life’s not easy by any means. But it is simple. It surely is not complex. We complicate Life by bringing in our wants, our definitions, and our labels, of how people and events must be. Life’s very simple if we just accept it for the way it is. The journey then will not be any less painful. But there will be no suffering. When you are non-suffering, your Life, despite the circumstances, is a daily celebration of magic, beauty and miracles!” HappinessLife LessonsSufferingAcceptanceAvis ViswanathanAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaNon SufferingFall Like A Rose Petal Pain Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“No matter how hard you try, or wish, or pray, you cannot change the Life that you have in the moment. So, first, accept what is. And then go to work on changing the parts about your Life that you don’t like. When you resist what is, you suffer. Being non-suffering is a choice. This is intelligent living. This holds the key to Happiness.” HappinessLife LessonsSufferingPrayerAcceptanceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalasIntelligent Living Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Grief is a natural process. You grieve when you give attention to someone's absence from your Life. But there's another way to deal with such irreparable loss. Try celebrating that person's Life – what did they stand for, what did you learn from them, who did they love, what would they have loved for you to do?...And go celebrate all these qualities of them/in them by living your Life fully, in celebration....When you transform your grief into celebration, you come alive. You will feel the pain (of separation) but you will not suffer. And when you are not suffering, you are flowing with Life...then you are not missing the absence of someone, you are feeling their essence; their presence is felt through the essence of who they were/what they were!” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingLossGriefAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“The greatest – most beautiful yet least known – quality of Life is that pain is Life's way of teaching us to pause, reflect and apply ourselves to being useful, to serve, to make our world a better place.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingSpiritualityAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaServe Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Don’t wish that your Life is different from what it is now. This is how you invite suffering into your Life. What is happening to you has already arrived in your Life. You can’t wish it away, you can’t undo it, you can’t deny its presence. By asking why is something happening in your Life, you are resisting your current reality. That’s also why you are suffering. Instead, learn to be non-suffering by embracing what is. Being non-suffering is a personal choice, it holds the key to your Happiness!” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe HappynesswalaNon Suffering Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Extraordinary pain in Life is not a sign of past sins catching up as some would want you to believe. It is, interestingly, a sign of extraordinary grace arriving in your Life. Pain is inevitable – you don’t get to choose it; if it was a choice then, well, all of humanity would like to avoid any pain. So, painful episodes just happen in Life, but they happen only for a reason. And that reason is always revealed in hindsight, upon deep reflection. If you think back, you will discover that any event that caused you pain, only left you stronger, wiser and happy. That’s the grace I am talking about. Pain, in essence, helps you evolve. It hurts you surely, but doesn’t harm you, and, unfailingly, leaves you blessed!” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingGraceAvis ViswanathanAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“There are only 2 things about Life that you can be sure about. 1. Of course, that you will die someday. 2. Life never ceases to amaze you, surprise you. Now, when you are amazed and surprised with Life giving you what you want or even more than that, you don't have a problem. But if Life amazes you and surprises you with what you don't want, what you don't like, you suffer. But the truth is that Life has not done anything different. It has only continued to amaze and surprise you. The problem is not with Life then. Your suffering comes only from your expectations. So, drop all your expectations, embrace your mortality and live fully as you will die any moment. When you live this way, you will be anchored no matter what is happening to you!” LifePainHappinessDeathLife LessonsSufferingAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Acceptance does not necessarily help you solve a problem. But acceptance helps you immensely in dealing with it, in making you non-suffering. When you resist a situation, you are fighting it. Whatever you resist, will fight back. Such is Life. All your suffering comes from wishing that your Life is different from what it is. So, in addition to the intense pain that the situation has thrown up, you have now invited suffering into your Life by wishing that the painful situation did not exist in the first place. Instead, embrace the situation. Gracefully accept your Life for what it is. Then, slowly, very slowly, time heals, peeling off layer after layer of suffering, as you understand the futility of prolonged sadness. As your suffering and sadness dissolve, you feel repaired, happy and at peace with your new reality.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingAcceptanceInner PeaceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Each one’s pain is different. You can empathize with them but you cannot always understand what someone is going through. Even if they are a long-time companion, a sibling, a parent or a child. No amount of empathy can help the other person either. They have to go through what they have to go through. Ultimately, everyone has to deal with their pain themselves; they have to understand it, negotiate with it and accept it. Acceptance does not take away the pain, but it instantaneously frees you of all suffering. So, if you you love someone who is dealing with intense pain, encourage them to embrace it; help them to be non-suffering. Being non-suffering holds the key to Happiness.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingAcceptanceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Don’t resist your pain, embrace it. It is normal to run away from pain – to hate it, to question why it is there in the first place. That is when – and how – you invite suffering into your Life. You suffer only because you wish your Life is different from what it is. Instead, accept your pain. When you hold up your pain and feel its intensity, you will realize that it is teaching you unputdownable Life lessons. At this time, if you choose to express your feelings through your art – anything…painting, music, cooking, gardening, writing…do whatever makes you come alive – magic and beauty will flow through you! Look around you – every work of art out there is a product of someone’s pain and their choice to express how they felt while enduring it. So, employ your pain to create something of lasting value and relevance! The world is waiting…” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingInner PeaceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When you are wronged by someone, you have two options: either fight back or walk away. Now, if you can forgive and move on, walk way. But if you will grieve and suffer forever that feeling of having been violated and short-changed, fight. But don’t fight if it will make you wallow in a maze of debilitating emotions – anger, grief, fear, insecurity, worry, hatred…such a fight that drains you of all your goodness, and which leaves you cold and numb, is simply not worth it. But if you don’t fight the good fight, understandably, the cause will be lost. And that’s sacrilege. So, the key is to practice detached determination. Fight with focus and strategy and fight calmly, happily! Fight with detachment – don’t cling on to your desired outcomes, don’t set deadlines. Simply fight. When you fight the good fight, with equanimity and a sense of Purpose, the outcome never matters. The fact that you stood up and fought does.” HappinessLife LessonsSufferingAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaEquanimityLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“When you wish pain and suffering on someone who wronged you, what is actually happening is that you are still cooking within yourself. You are the one who is suffering. And you are expressing this suffering by wishing that your perpetrator must also suffer. Now, this reaction is normal; it is human to feel this way. But if you pause and reflect quietly, you will see the futility of causing your own suffering. If you must fight your perpetrator legally, do that. But do that dispassionately, without acrimony; let it simply be a clinical process. You don’t have to even forgive the person if you really are not feeling like it yet. But stop wishing that they suffer. That’s a big step forward in your own healing. When you take this step, over time, you will realize that Life always serves retribution at its own pace and that nothing liberates you as much as forgiveness does!” HappinessLife LessonsSufferingLife QuotesForgivenessAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Grief is an important emotion. Don’t suppress it. Go through the process of grieving as long as you feel it is important and necessary for you to grieve. Don’t let people tell you that to grieve is being weak or being depressive. Hardly. Choose your own way of expressing your grief. If you must cry, cry. If you prefer being silent, be that way. But whatever you do, remember that grief when carried for too long in you becomes a burden. Then it begins to cause your suffering. So, at some point, hold up your grief and examine it. Is it serving any Purpose? Is the process of grieving comforting you or is it making you feel miserable? The moment you realize the futility of clinging on to grief, you will set it down. This will set you free. You will then be happy despite the circumstances.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingGriefAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalThe HappynesswalaLife Coaching Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Whatever be your current reality, you are never in conflict with it. Life is happening to you. And you are going with the flow. A health challenge, a break-up, the loss of a loved one, a career-related complication, a messy financial situation, whatever you are dealing with, you are doing pretty fine living with what is. However, the moment your mind plays up an expectation that your Life must be different from what it is now, suffering kicks in. So, clearly, suffering comes from expectations. And you cause your expectations. The solution, therefore, to avoid suffering is to drop all expectations. Embrace your current reality, do what you can do in the given context and keep moving…” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingExpectationsAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan
“Pain is not a monster that is out to annihilate you as is popularly believed. Pain is a great teacher. While you can’t avoid pain, it teaches you, through your acceptance of any Life situation, that suffering is optional; that there is a lot of Life during and after a crisis. Truly, acceptance of a painful situation is the only way to deal with it.” PainHappinessLife LessonsSufferingAcceptanceAvis ViswanathanFall Like A Rose PetalAvis On HappynessThe Happynesswala Author:AVIS Viswanathan