Happiness Not Just a Chance, But a Choice

Happiness is not just a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. You can be as happy as you make up your mind to be. Once you realize that happiness is not controlled by outside forces but instead by what goes on inside your mind, you can make happiness a choice, day by day.

Make it a habit to enjoy the moment. As strange as it may sound, the ability to appreciate what’s right in front of you has very little to do with what you actually have. It has more to do with how you see the good things in your life at any given time. Simply practice wanting what you already have and you’ll find that you have what you want. Take a look around—what is in front of you that you can enjoy, right now?

Decide to smile more often. A smile not only suggests a sense of happiness, a smile is often contagious. Make a conscious effort to share a smile with the next person you see. You may find that brightening someone else’s day will also brighten your own.

Take time to notice and appreciate the details. Even if you get everything you ever wanted, you are still subject to the daily highs and lows that life has to offer. When you focus on life’s small pleasures, you’ll find you have a variety of things to appreciate, no matter the changes in your life.

Happiness grows in connection with others. The Dalai Lama wrote, “ We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do no benefit from others’ activities. For this reason, it is hardly surprising that most of our happiness arises in the context of our relationships with others.” Be generous with your compassion, your time and listen when your friends have problems. Other people will notice and you will motivate them to do the same.

“To get up each morning with the resolve to be happy . . . is to set our own conditions to the events of each day. To do this is to condition circumstances instead of being conditioned by them.” –Ralph Waldo Trine

Credits: Creative Commons

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Kaylaa T. Blackwell is an IT Professional working @ Itron, Inc. and a student @ Southern New Hampshire University with a penchant for writing, researching and helping others resolve real world issues. She has a great interest in technology, business and psychology and how they impact each other. The views and opinions expressed in this article belongs to Kaylaa and do not represent the opinions of her employer. Learn more about her here.