Dreamer's World October 14 2015 - To Be Happy










One of the hardest things to find in this life is Happiness. As you can tell from my normal daily picture, there is a philosophy that I try my best to follow, and that is “Happiness is a new day”. What this really means is that each day brings us the same challenges as the day before, as well as some new ones that pop up. Not much of a starting point is it?
Each day presents challenges to us that can either allow us to despair or to MAKE THE CHOICE to be happy. You heard me right, HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE! That is a lesson I took forever to learn, but experience is the best teacher. I spent years hoping that things were going to get to the point where I would finally be “happy”. There were some promising days that quickly fell apart, and there were the days when I thought I would never be happy at all ever again.
This mindset was all a product of me expecting something to happen that would make me “happy”. I made no conscious effort to improve my situation, I was stuck in the response-only mode that we all find ourselves in from time to time. It seems like such an obvious thing to say, but for those who are struggling, I understand exactly how you feel, and I hope that you are able to make things better eventually.
Happiness is a choice that we all have to make. Happiness is a choice that we all have to make each and every day of our lives. It is a repetitive process that becomes a habit if we follow through with it. I no longer let things bother me for more than an instant. There are times when the best day can be brought crashing down to Earth with just one negative moment. Personally, I find that writing helps me to get over those negative emotions and feelings. It doesn’t magically cure them, but it gives me the chance to really examine them as I write. This is turn helps me to figure out why it bothers me and what I can do to alleviate the problem.
Rather than feeling like I am dwelling on something negative when I write, I begin to see the positive outcomes that I can affect with my own attitude and efforts. It convinces me that I can overcome what is in front of me and move on with my life without falling apart. I suppose that it should be described as a mixture of analytical and positive thinking. I cannot overcome the obstacle until I more clearly understand why I think it is in my way.
This rather simple approach has helped me to get through some really difficult life events. Coming out, the loss of a parent, discovering that I was in a toxic relationship and leaving it behind, financial troubles have all been handled with the simple idea that Happiness is a choice.
Remember that the other option is despair, and that never leads to anything good. Never let the world or other people take away your right to make your own choice to be happy. I guarantee you will not regret it.
It will not always be easy. Changing the way you look at the world and the problems in it and how they affect you can be overwhelming, you have to commit to this and give it time to work for you. A practice that I have always found helpful is to set a date in the future, say 1 month to start with and then attempt to see the world and your place in it differently for that month. When the deadline arrives, take an HONEST look back at how you felt that day vs how you feel at the current moment. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised if you are honest with yourself and you have done your best to change your mindset to one of being happy. Remember that Happiness is a new day, and Happiness is a CHOICE.

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