Flourishing

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.   

Abraham Lincoln

What would you think if I told you happiness is only a decision away?  That all you have to do is choose to be happy.  Yes, it’s that easy.  I know your probably thinking, “yeah right, choose to be happy?  In my sad, lonely world?  I don’t think so!”  But it’s true, no one is in charge of your happiness but you.  It is a choice that you make every day, every minute of your life.

Why is it a choice? It’s a choice because you are in charge of your own mind and your own actions.  You are the one who decides what to think, what to feel, and what to do.  No one else has the power to make you feel anything you don’t want to feel unless you give them the power to do so.  You give them that power by letting things get to you and not choosing for yourself how to feel and you can’t choose how to feel if don’t realize you have a choice.

Choosing happiness is easy when you realize that you have the power to control when happiness is in your life.  That’s not to say that you or I won’t ever have times of anger, grief, hurt, sadness, or whatever.  It is the rising up from that in less time than it would normally take you without the awareness that you have the power to choose that makes all the difference in the world.

I notice and appreciate the small things in my daily life to help me stay focused on the good things in life.  So then, I have things to think about when I need to make myself feel happy.  Letting go of things I can’t control is also a big help.  Worrying and complaining about those kinds of things weighs down my energy and that’s not how I want to feel.  I’m not trying to feel giddy all day (not that there’s anything wrong with that) but I do like feeling content and for me that’s a reason to be happy.

When I was a girl and was angry or pouting about something my father would tell me “Let me see you smile” and so I would and that changed my mood instantly.  I felt happy again.  Looking back never fully appreciated how a smile could change how I felt.  But now as an adult I see its magical benefits and I’ve been doing it ever since. If I engage my eyes in my smile I feel the happiness deeper inside.  Smiling is my go-to tool. The more I do it the happier I feel.  Sometimes I have an internal smile in my heart.  However, I smile it does help keep me feeling happy because that’s how I choose to feel.