Happiness Isn’t Something You Chase Down

-Karthik Gurumurthy

A lot of people think happiness is something “out there” that they need to go find. Spoiler alert: that usually ends in disappointment.

Here’s a story that nails this:

One day, Mullah Nasruddin was super depressed. A friend stopped by and asked what was wrong. Mullah started crying and said, “My uncle on my mom’s side died last month and left me everything. I can’t stop thinking about it!”

His friend tried to cheer him up: “Hey, your uncle was over 90—that’s just life. Plus, you inherited a ton of property! You should be celebrating!”

But Mullah just cried harder. “You don’t get it! Last week, my uncle on my dad’s side died too. He left me millions of dollars.” He was a total mess.

Now his friend was really confused. “Okay, your uncle was 95. Why on earth are you crying about getting millions of dollars?”

“It gets worse,” Mullah sobbed. “Yesterday my grandfather died—he was over 100—and he left me over 20 million dollars!”

The friend had had enough. “I seriously don’t understand why you’re upset!”

Mullah wiped his tears and explained: “All my rich relatives are dead now. I don’t have any uncles left to die and leave me money!”

The Point? Greed Kills Happiness

This silly story actually teaches something important. When greed takes over, happiness doesn’t stand a chance. Real joy and peace come from within, not from constantly wanting more.

Think of it like this: pouring water into a cracked pot is pointless—it just leaks out. People who can’t be content are the same way. No matter what they get, they’re still focused on what they don’t have. Their minds are always leaking happiness.

But seal that crack? The pot holds water. Fix your mindset? You can actually feel joy.

Stop Waiting for “Someday” to Be Happy

People do this all the time: “I’ll be happy when I get that job,” “I’ll be happy when I move to that city,” “I’ll be happy when I make this much money.” They pin their happiness on some future thing that might not even happen, and meanwhile they’re missing out on good stuff happening right now. Classic cracked pot situation.

And don’t even get me started on people who think they can buy happiness at the store. Smart people know better.

Here’s the Deal

Just decide to be happy. Right now. Not when something happens, not when you get something—now.

Hope you have an awesome day!