You realize that you have one choice in life, right? And that choice has nothing to do with who you will spend the rest of your life with, or the path of your career. Ultimately you have one basic decision: Do you want to be happy, or not? It really is that simple.
Most of us think happiness is not within our control and so we don’t even give ourselves the choice. I have a friend that when asked said, “Of course I want to be happy, but my mom died.” Ah, but that wasn’t the question. My question to her was, “Do you want to be happy or not?” It seems so simple, and if you can keep it that simple, you’ll find “happy” is within your control.
The thing about this question is that you have to give an unconditional answer. And you have to mean it no matter what happens. You have to decide and choose to be unconditionally happy, even when bad/sad things happen. And bad/sad things are going to happen to you. The moment something like, your pet dies, your spouse leaves you, or you get a flat tire at night, will you be willing to stick to your choice to be happy?
So maybe the real question is, are you willing to choose happy no matter what happens? Here’s the hard part; you have to let go of the part of you that love drama, and wants to create it. We all have it, and we all do it. It’s funny that there is a part of us that thinks there’s a reason not to be happy. We simply need to learn to enjoy each and every one of life experiences, even the bad experiences.
Let’s be real, the only thing we can do is choose to be happy. After all, we are sitting on a planet, spinning around in the middle of the universe. So, If you have to be here, at least be happy. I mean, come on, we’re all going to die, and things are going to happen to us, so why not be happy?
Being happy is really quite simple. Take note of how open your heart feels when you’re happy and how you can feel that energy rush up inside you. Try it now, think of something that makes you happy, smile a genuine smile. Can you feel how your heart opens and how you feel inside? In order to be happy, you need to keep your heart open.
Remember happiness is a choice. Don’t let someone cutting you off in traffic on your way to work ruin your whole day. Find a way to have fun in the moment when things happen.
A friend once told me that if someone cut her off while driving to work , she would smile and say to herself, “Wow they must really have to pee.” This was her way of reminding herself to have fun and to keep her heart open. I’ve used it myself from time to time and it always makes me lighten up and smile.
Choose happy, and remember to have fun and keep your heart open. That doesn’t mean you have to be all bubbly and cheerful on the outside; just be joyful inside. Do you best to have fun when things go wrong or life is difficult. And if you have moments where you find yourself screaming in traffic, simply renew your commitment to be unconditionally happy for the rest of your life. Remember you only have one life, why not make it a happy life.
Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash