A monk once told his students that A rich man and a beggar both went to sleep unhappy. Why? Asked a young student. The monk smiled and replied, "The rich man spent the night worrying about what he might lose. The beggar spent the night worrying about what he did not have." The student looked confused and said. "But one had everything, and the other had nothing." The monk nodded. "Yes, and yet neither had peace."
My friend, many people believe happiness lives in possessions. They say, "When I earn more, I'll be happy. When I buy the house, I'll be happy. When I achieve success, I'll be happy." But happiness is a strange thing. If happiness depends on what and how much you own, you will always need more. The rich man feared losing his. The beggar feared never gaining it. Both were prisoners of the same mind, one trapped by abundance, the other by lack of it.
The monk then asked,
"If I gave you a golden cup filled with poison, would you drink it?" "Of course not," replied the students. The monk asked. "Do people spend their lives drinking fear, comparison, and dissatisfaction, and expect to taste happiness?"
Peace does not come from what is in your hand. Peace comes from what is in your heart.
For a grateful rich man may sleep peacefully, and a grateful beggar may sleep peacefully, but a restless mind will never be satisfied, no matter how much it owns. Tonight, before you sleep, ask yourself, am I chasing happiness or am I practicing it?