We spend so much of our lives and put so much energy into chasing money, fame, power and possessions. Whilst the material world has it allure, it will not make us happy. Most people just do not know that happiness can only ever come from within. If you want to be happy, you need to know the secrets to happiness. Read on to learn how you can find permanent happiness and freedom from suffering.

Do you believe that happiness and sorrow are produced by external conditions - objects and events - things that happen to you, or things that you have or do not have that make you feel happy or sad? Most people do and that is why they spend so much time trying to get the things that they think will make them happy and avoid the things that they think will make them miserable. In reality, the emotions of happiness and suffering are just the product of your reactions to these objects and events. And these are all produced in your mind.

As human beings we constantly live by the judgements that we make. When something happens, we register how we feel at the time and we tend to start to associate that thing or event with the emotion that we felt. Of course our feelings at the time are the result, not only of what is happening, but of a complex chain of emotions relating to everything that has ever happened to us in our lives.

When we are happy, we are convinced that it is due to that external event or thing and then disappointment sets in when we no longer have what we thought made us happy. When we get something material our happiness is only temporary. We hanker after a new car or a new house or a new phone, but when we have them, we are generally only happy for a short time. Then, as soon as the novelty wears off, we lose interest and we soon move onto the next thing that we want that we think will make us happy.

If something is a true cause of happiness then it follows that the more we have of it, the happier it will make us. However, there is nothing in the material world that fits this criterion. If you take chocolate for example, you might feel that eating a chocolate bar makes you happy, but if you eat too many more you will start to feel sick. Maybe you think that having more money will make you happy, but when you get it you start to worry about taxes, theft and losing your income. The more money you have the more you need to sustain your expanding material lifestyle and the more worries that come with it. I said earlier that it is our reactions to these external conditions that produce our happiness or otherwise. For example, when you get a financial windfall, you will probably feel happy but then the worries mentioned above start to set in.

So what are the secrets to happiness and how can you be happy all the time? Well, there is only one way. When you can control the reaction of your mind to external events then you can achieve permanent inner peace and be happy all the time, no matter what is going on in your life. I'm not saying that this is easy. It takes determination and commitment and the belief that it is achievable. Most people will continue to look for happiness in the material world and never find it. What about you? Are you prepared to consider the alternative of taking control of your mind so that you can achieve permanent inner peace and find the secrets to lasting happiness?