Secrets for a Happy Family Life

Browse the self-help section of any bookstore or library, and you’re bound to come across several books on creating and maintaining a happy family life. It’s apparent: we all want happy and harmonious families. In fact, even you most likely make every effort to create a happy family life for yourself. However, many people aren’t successful in creating this, and find themselves burdened by family responsibilities. They’re often left wondering what they can do to wholly enjoy their family life, and to build a happy home for everyone who is a part of it.

According to WebMD, there are some secrets to creating a happy family. Or, in other words, there are certain things happy families do right to maintain a sense of fun and togetherness. Among these “secrets” is the fact that happy families truly enjoy each other, and do everything to uplift each other. Their interactions are characterized by joy and positivity. WebMD also states that these families often plan activities that involve all of them, so that they can spend quality time with each other. Happy families truly enjoy each other’s company, and constantly encourage harmony, open communication and growth among each member.

People often ask Sadhguru about the true meaning of a family and ways to improve their family life. Below, we’ve shared Sadhguru’s insight into what a family actually means and how you can create a happy family for yourself:

“A family does not mean dependence; it is a certain partnership that you formed. Partnerships are relevant only when both the people are willing and they are going in a certain direction together. If both the partners are constantly concerned about each other’s well-being, then partnership is meaningful. If it is all about you, either in terms of family or in terms of profession or in terms of spirituality—whichever way—then partnership is irrelevant for such a person. If you stay together you will create a big mess for both the people. You do not stay in a family because of duty; you stay in a family because there is a bond of love that you have formed. If there is a bond of love nobody needs to tell you what to do and what not to do: you will do what is needed.

Just because you formed a bond of love with somebody or a group of people does not mean you should not aspire for big things in your life. The best thing that you can do to people around you is to make yourself in the greatest possible way a human being can be. You must pursue that. The more you evolve, the more you contribute to people around. If people do not understand this, they think the only way they can have you is when you are stuck on the same level as they are stuck on, with the same limitations and the same problems, and they think you should not seek freedom beyond that. If this is the case, then that is not a family; that is a mafia. If you are running a mafia of how to extract the best from each other, that is not a family. How to give the best to each other—that is a family. If that is not there, there is no family, so there is no question of breaking it.

Every human being should naturally aspire for the highest possible potential that he can reach in his life because that is the greatest contribution he can make to life around him. If you keep yourself limited, that is not a contribution, not just for your life, for everybody. If you are in a certain state of well-being, wisdom, and blissfulness, if you are in the highest possible way that you could be, that is the best thing you can do to all the people around you. That will not happen without striving and without some sacrifice; and sacrifice is not a sacrifice. Only when you have no love for each other, it is a sacrifice. If there is love for each other, to forgo something for another person’s well-being is a privilege.”

How will Sadhguru’s wise words impact your family life? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.