The World Is Always Beautiful, Keep a Broad Heart

Each of us has a door in our heart, though the material differs. Some have a locked wooden door—when life is happy and successful, it opens; when faced with failure and pain, it closes, shutting oneself in darkness. Some have a revolving glass door—regardless of success or failure, joy or sorrow, it keeps turning, spinning out disappointment and pain, letting in hope and possibility. Others have a door of iron that never opens; sunlight cannot enter, so their hearts remain sealed in darkness.

People need freedom and an uplifting life; we need sunlight to bring us the breath of vitality. Don’t dwell on the meaning of existence, and don’t let tedious work rob you of time to enjoy the sunlight. Life needs sunshine! Open the window—let the sunlight pour in!

Jane Huang and her husband lived a frugal life, raising two children together. Suddenly, her husband was diagnosed with cancer. To pay for his costly treatment, she not only spent all their savings but also borrowed heavily. In the end, she could not save him. After his death, the family was left destitute. Jane had to work hard to support herself and her two children. She bought a used car on installment payments and began selling books for a publishing company. With no fixed salary, her income depended entirely on commissions, offering no financial security.

Jane Huang felt lonely and discouraged, beset by countless worries each day: afraid she couldn’t pay the car loan, the rent, or afford enough food; fearful she couldn’t cover her children’s tuition or medical bills if illness struck. Life seemed hopeless, and she contemplated suicide for relief, but the thought of leaving her children as orphans stopped her. She truly didn’t know how to endure another joyless day.

One day, Jane came across a sentence in a book that would later change her fate: "For a wise person, opening the window and letting sunlight in makes every day a new life." Suddenly she realized she had been living in yesterday’s misfortune and tomorrow’s fear, neglecting today altogether.

Jane was so moved by this sentence that she printed it out—one copy went above her bed, another on the car’s windshield. Every morning, she would tell herself, "Today is a new life!" Every time she drove, she’d say, "What a beautiful day!" And she set out, filled with hope.

Gradually, Jane learned to forget the past and not worry about the future, focusing instead on doing each task at hand well. Her mood brightened, and her optimism and smile began to infect her clients. Her sales and income soared. She paid off her debts, and her finances improved greatly. Later, she met a good man, donned a wedding dress again, and began a happy new life.

Some may say, "Life for me is full of twists and hardships, one trial after another. Happiness always seems out of reach. How can I possibly be joyful, or avoid losing my temper?"

In truth, happiness has nothing to do with whether life is smooth or difficult; it depends only on our desires and the direction of our efforts.

Perhaps you had an unfortunate childhood—lost a parent young, or maybe you’re an orphan. Yet your young heart brimmed with stubborn resilience: you cried when you needed to, laughed when you could, replacing sorrow and grievance with diligence and tenacity. Like a tender shoot pushing up from beneath a rock, you stretch your slender, winding body upward, striving for sunlight and rain. In its struggle, its roots dig deep into the earth, drinking from springs and absorbing nutrients; its trunk and leaves thrive in the brilliant sun, flourishing vigorously; even in wind and rain, it keeps singing. So, even if your childhood was unhappy, you can be like that shoot—wash away gloom and tears with strength and optimism, move forward step by step, and finally grow into a towering tree.

Perhaps you’ve suffered a deep wound on the path of love, your heart shattered, as if your soul had flown away. But as long as even a sliver of joy remains in your heart, it will slowly heal your wounds, revive your heart clouded by love, and help you realize that there is beauty everywhere in the world—guiding you to find love that truly belongs to you.

Maybe you were healthy but suddenly struck by misfortune and left disabled; maybe you were wealthy but lost everything overnight; maybe you were diligent but failed the college entrance exam. In short, life is unpredictable and fate is fickle—anyone can encounter setbacks at any time. Yet, the same event seen from different angles brings different feelings.

For example, you might lose your job despite working diligently. You could complain about unfair fate, resent your heartless boss, or sink into sorrow and confusion. But you might also think: fate has given me another chance to choose a career—perhaps my life will become richer and more fulfilling. With this mindset, you embark on your job search with ease.

Or say you accidentally lose an expensive leather coat. You could regret your carelessness or resent the person who kept it. But you might also comfort yourself: now a poor person need not fear the winter cold, and you can feel the joy of helping others. Since what’s lost cannot be recovered, let the loss bring peace to your heart.

Suppose your child breaks a cherished watch you’ve carefully collected. You could react in anger, scolding your child and filling the home with tension and tears. Or, after a moment of sadness, you might think: the child has gained new knowledge through experience. So you gently pat your child’s head and ask, "Can you try to put it back together?" Smile, and both you and your child will be happy. Why not choose joy?

A few years ago, Mike and Tom Thompson went into business with partners. Their cargo ship was caught in a storm, and all their possessions—including their dreams—sank to the ocean floor. Mike couldn’t withstand the blow and fell into despair, drifting through his days in a daze. But Tom Thompson lived with zest: he worked as a dock laborer by day, studied marketing at the library by night, and led a fulfilling, happy life. Mike asked Tom, after such hardship, how he could still be cheerful. Tom replied, "Whether you curse and grieve, or you’re joyful and glad, the days pass just the same. Which will you choose?" He advised Mike, "Every morning before you get up and every night before bed, spend some time recalling the good things that happened that day. Keep at it and see what happens."

Sure enough, by following this advice, Mike soon developed a positive attitude toward life and grew increasingly happy. With help from family and friends, he started again with a small business. Now, he is a successful entrepreneur.

Whether a person is happy or not has nothing to do with material conditions or the environment. Living in a peaceful, prosperous country doesn’t guarantee greater happiness. Studies show that since World War II, quality of life has improved in many ways, yet the number of people who consider themselves happy hasn’t increased. In fact, modern people are ten times more likely to experience bad moods. Money and wealth seem to bring happiness, but once basic needs are met, money ceases to be a source of joy.

Happiness is a state, a pursuit, a longing, and an emotion. Once you master the art of managing your feelings, you’re already standing on the side of happiness.

No one can live a lifetime in perfect peace, free from worry—everyone will face moments that fall short of their hopes. Some people learn life’s true meaning from setbacks, gain survival skills from hardship, and thus find joy and courage to press on, eventually reaching the shores of success. Others keep pain and sorrow bottled up, living under a cloud of anxiety and never finding relief. Not only do their troubles persist and their careers stagnate, but their health suffers as well.

So, whether a person is happy or not doesn’t depend on whether they encounter difficulties, but on how they view those difficulties. In other words, a negative mindset has no affinity with happiness.

It’s Sunday, and you’ve planned to go out with friends. But when you wake up and look out the window, it’s raining. What do you think? You might sigh, "How awful! It’s raining, I can’t go anywhere, stuck at home—what a drag." Or you might think, "It’s raining, so today I’ll stay in, read a good book, listen to music—that’s nice too." These two different mental suggestions will lead to two different ways of thinking and acting.

Fish swim freely in the water, so calm and at ease—their happiness fills the whole pond. For us humans, happiness hides in every corner of life. It is so simple that all it takes is a mindful savoring. As long as we have a heart that appreciates happiness, joy will linger close by.

Further Reading: Happiness Exercise—The Wall of Pain and the Steps to Joy

The wall-and-ladder metaphor helps us understand how various factors in life affect our happiness, how we can fill life with joy, and how to avoid unnecessary suffering.

The wall has three distinct layers, each built from stones of different sizes:

First layer: foundation stones as massive as planets.

Second layer: stones so heavy that even a strong man would be overwhelmed.

Third layer: stones soaked with tears, almost impossible to lift.

Now, let’s climb the steps and explore these three levels together.

First level: Foundation stones.

There are no rules here—just follow your intuition.

The wall of pain and the steps to happiness are both built from a series of massive foundation stones. Each stone weighs several tons and, like the heavens, is ancient and unchanging.

Foundation stones are a person’s genes, childhood, past experiences, and all those completed, unchangeable facts. These stones truly cannot be moved—they are part of life and make up the past.

The most basic stones in the wall are genes, and you inherit them. Some of your parents’ genes may not be yours, but your own genes will always belong to you.

How much control do you really have over your own happiness?

Today, most researchers believe that genes account for half of our personality, leaving the other half in our own hands. Even better, unlike other mammals whose brains are 98% developed at birth, the human brain is only 38% developed at birth, giving us a 62% chance to shape ourselves.

Other foundation stones are laid when we’re very young: the death of a parent or sibling, parental discord, family breakdown, addiction, emotional issues, abuse and neglect, major illness, and so on. Researchers have found that, apart from illness, each of these lowers adult happiness. Those who suffered multiple childhood traumas are less likely to find happiness and tend to earn less as adults.

Just as some childhood experiences leave scars, others bring warmth, love, and a sense of security.

Second level: House stones.

Standing atop the massive foundation stones is the second layer—the house stones, which represent our environment and circumstances. Some we can choose, others we cannot.

Other house stones worth cherishing include: the forest behind the house, your work, a warm family—these are all stones that pave the steps to happiness.

Though some house stones can be moved, a single book cannot guide you through the whole process. For now, let’s set aside the house stones—once you master the habits of happiness in this book, you may return to revisit this section.

Third level: Stones soaked with tears.

When one door to happiness closes, another opens. Yet people often focus so much on the closed door that they fail to see the one already open.

The feeling of stones soaked with tears is like morning dew on tender grass—some may even bring sadness, but they never last long, merely passing through your life in a fleeting moment.

Some tear-soaked stones can be moved. Handling them now prevents stumbling tomorrow. I hope you’ll come to understand this through reading this book.

Some tear-soaked stones cannot be moved. If a pumpkin falls from your roof and smashes your dining table, what can you say?

Though such things bring sorrow within the wall of pain, on the steps to happiness, tear-soaked stones can be joyful. Like a daughter hugging her mother for no special reason, or a spouse giving flowers for a loved one’s birthday.

Some things lose their impact on happiness in less than three months—even major events rarely affect happiness for more than six months. The best way to deal with tear-soaked stones is to embrace them warmly when they arise, and do your best to ignore their effects until they fade away. (So many things happen to us, around us, within us, and in our hearts.)