These days I cannot help noticing how much discontent there is in the hearts of those I come into contact with, whether in my personal or professional life. As humans, we just seem to be incredibly susceptible to feelings of emptiness, depression, inadequacy, regret and jealousy.
Like many others, I was brought up with the notion that happiness and fulfillment was directly related to the attainment of wealth, successful career, social status, good health, married life with children. Granted, all of these things are desirable and make for a more comfortable life.
However, even as a young boy, I was struck by the fact that some people who seemingly had "everything" were miserable, while others who were far less fortunate appeared to be happy and at peace with themselves.
So there had to be "something else" that brought people fulfillment and delivered them from suffering. Right then and there I decided that I absolutely needed to discover what that "something else" was, first for myself and then to help others.
I have studied the teachings of the great spiritual masters. I have maintained a personal spiritual practice for many years. I have always been a "people watcher." And I carefully watch my own reaction to circumstances. With all of this, I have arrived at an incredibly simple, yet profound truth: it's all about attitude and perspective. And more importantly, at any moment in time, albeit difficult, attitude and perspective can be changed by conscious choice.
Two men are in similar life circumstances. One is happy, content, positive. The other is sad, empty, negative. Why is that? The answer is actually shocking in it's simplicity. One man believes that that there is reason to be happy, the other does not.
In reality, things are neither good nor bad; they are what they are. Through our belief systems, we attribute personal meaning to life events, ultimately concluding whether we should be happy or sad under the circumstances. Thus, our state of happiness is directly related to choosing the "right" belief systems. And it is important to note at this juncture that the one thing we all do possess, should we choose to employ it, is "free will." So in the end, we all can believe whatever we want to believe.
From my own personal experience and through observing others, I really do

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