Be Happy Every Day

Being happy doesn’t come naturally to everybody and not everyone understands how to be happy every day. That doesn't mean that there are times when you are not upset, angry or sad because there will be but overall, you can shake those away and feel happy again.

What causes people to be unhappy? That is easy... negative thinking. Instead of focusing on what we have in our lives and be grateful for them, we tend to think what we want. Always wanting but never satisfied with anything that comes because we are not happy with ourselves, so how can you be happy with anyone or anything else?

I will tell you this... it is hard to be constantly happy but after some time of basically training yourself to be happy, it gets easy. People used to say I was nice and easy going but had a real bitchy side. Oh, yes, I did! That is pretty much gone and I get a lot of compliments now about my positive attitude and how happy I always seem to be. And you know what? I really am but it took time for me to change but in the end, I feel good.

It really is all about how you think and what you are grateful for. Sure, there will be challenges in our lives. There will be hearts that need mending but if you are normally a happy person, it is easier and the healing process is faster. Always seeing the good side of life rather than the bad gets you through each day of trials and tribulations.

We have to stop focusing on all the wrongs that happen in our lives and set our minds to all the good that does. That way, it draws more and more of that good energy into our lives.

Think about this. What makes you happy? I mean it, stop right now and really think about what makes you happy.

A person? A thought or quote? A song? A smell, like fresh baked cinnamon rolls or fresh coffee?

What if you were to start using that as your happiness start point? When you feel upset, down or unhappy, think of the one thing that makes you happy and go from there. Eventually, you will feel happy most of the time.

Find happiness in the simple things. The way the raindrops hang off the edge of a leaf after a rainstorm, hearing the sound of chimes on a breezy day or seeing a rainbow in the sky and enjoying that moment. If we cannot find happiness in the simple things, then the bigger things won't mean that much to us, either and we will always be wanting.

Sure, there will be occasion when big moments make you absolutely happy. My example is that my daughter recently got married. As her father and I walked her down the aisle, I was so proud of her. She found someone that she shares her happiness with and was marrying her best friend/soul mate. They are truly happy together and to see that, it was infectious. Everyone was giddy and it was a beautiful, funfilled evening with good friends and family to share in that special day for them. But honestly, it was also all those small moments that led up to that day that made it extra special.

All week before the wedding, she, her now sister-in-law  and I hung out and did wedding errands. Sure, they were chores but we had fun with one another, enjoying the simple things and the laughing and giggling made each moment special that led up to her wedding day. We had our rehearsal dinner the night before and again had a great time.

The morning of her wedding, my daughter called me early, at 6am, and said, she wanted to spend the morning with just her and I or as she called it, "momma and me time" before she became a married woman. She stopped at a cafe between her hotel and my place, grabbed a couple cups of coffee, came over to hang out in my living room. We chatted, laughed, cried, reminisced and enjoyed the time together before the day started. The small moments together that led to the big moment that evening. What a happy memory I have of that day.

Do you have trouble telling when you are happy? Try keeping a journal and write all the fun, happy, enjoyable times in it. Eventually, it will get so big you will be writing in journal after journal but by then, you won't need it as you will know what it feels like. Writing about our emotions is the best way to understanding them.

One thing I need to bring up. Happiness may not always come easily into your life. You may have been taught growing up that certain feelings were not acceptable. As a child you get conditioned to be a certain way in your household but the problem is that you take that into your adulthood with you and it gets harder to change.

You may even have been conditioned by anger, guilt, sadness or fear so those are more comfortable emotions for you. Toss them away! NOW! It feels good to be happy and the sooner you get that and feel it, the faster you will know all those wasted days you spent feeling angry, guilty, sad or afraid.

I have to say this. Happiness is a choice you make each day you wake up. You choose how you feel. You wake up and you can turn happiness on. I promise that to you. I even wrote a blog on promises but that's another topic. LOL! Here is an exercise for you that I did to "train" myself.

Keep a piece of paper next to your bedside. On that paper write a word or phrase that makes you happy. A person's name so that when you read it, it brings a smile to your face. A place that brings great memories back to make you smile. A thing that makes you happy so you smile. Something that was said to you that brings you joy.

When you wake up, look over at that piece of paper and read what it says every morning before you get out of bed. You're smiling. Now keep doing this until when you wake up one morning and you are smiling regardless.

You can do something else to take with you all day. Keep another piece of paper that fits into your wallet and write something else that makes you happy. During the day, pull it out and read it. Smile, feeling the happiness enfuse you and place it back into your wallet. Keep doing this every day. You know where this is going, right? You don't need those pieces of paper anymore and you know what it feels like to just be happy every day.

Someone once told me that I was special and that I made him feel special. How huge is that? So when I am down, I remember those words and it lifts me.

As I close, I will ask you to do one thing right now. Find one thing to be happy about and let it fill your heart.

Sending out happy and loving energy. Bright blessing and whatever you are doing this weekend, be happy and fulfilled!