“Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy unless you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from You!” I was walking down the road one day; it was a really quiet morning which felt different. I was walking along the footpath; it was covered with leaves which fell from the line of trees following the footpath. The view as seen from my eyes was unbelievable, a pleasant breeze was kissing my cheeks very passionately. Nothing much was going on in my mind & I didn’t want that moment to ever end. As I walked ahead, I began to observe various things around me. The one which blew me away was a mother & her little baby. The mother wore a long dirty cloth, as if she found it when someone threw it away. How easy is it for the more fortunate people to throw away the things they don’t need, they do this without thinking of the unfortunate needy people. So, what I saw was the mother was protecting her baby from the morning cold. She wrapped her baby very tightly, so that no harm could touch her little baby. The mother with her baby was sitting on the street, expecting some money from the kinder lot, so that she could buy food for both of them. It is not an uncommon scene; we see these things everyday around us but sometimes these things can impact us very strongly. It was a time of realisation of how lucky I have been in my whole life. It made me feel how small my problems were & then I saw something which made my understanding clearer. I saw a man giving some food & money to the mother & as she took the money, her face was shining as if she was the happiest person in the world, & why not, she could now feed her baby at least for the day. That smile made me wonder that if she can be happy with her condition in life, then why the normal people like us struggle to find that happiness. Actually, in life happiness does not depend on luck, happiness is just a choice which is completely in your hands. You can be happy in any situation, people even with lots & lots of money are unhappy just because they chose to be. Nothing can stand between you & your happiness if you choose to be happy. Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Many happy people realise happiness is a choice & it’s up to them to intentionally choose it every single day. But simply knowing happiness is a choice is not enough. Fully experiencing it still requires a conscious decision to choose happiness each day. How then might each one of us begin to experience this joy? Let’s ponder on few ways of embracing practises that leads us to choose happiness. Count your blessings. Happy people choose to focus on the positive rather than the negative. They set their minds on specific reasons to be grateful & discover that there is always something to be grateful for. Carry a smile A smile is a wonderful beautifier. Studies indicate that making an emotion-filled face carries influence over the feelings processed by brain. You can actually program yourself to experience happiness by choosing to smile. Not to mention, all the pretty smiles you’ll receive in return for flashing yours is also guaranteed to increase your happiness. Speak daily affirmation into your life: Affirmations are positive thoughts accompanied with affirmative beliefs & personal statements of truth. They are recited in the first person, present tense (‘I am…’). Affirmations used daily help reduce stress, build confidence & improve outlook. Wake up on your terms. Most of us have alarm clocks programmed because of the expectation of others: a workplace, a school, a waking child which is probably not going to change but that doesn’t mean we have to lose control over our mornings in the process. Wake up just a little bit early & establish an empowering, meaningful, morning routine. Start each day with your terms, the next 23 hours will thank you for it. Practise one life-improving discipline There is happiness & fulfilment to be found in personal growth. To know that you have intentionally devoted time & energy to personal improvement is one of the most satisfying feelings one could experience. Embrace & practise at least one act of self-discipline every day. This could be exercise, budgeting, or guided-learning, whatever your life needs today to continue growing. Find it. Practise it. Celebrate it. Eat a healthy meal snack We are spiritual, emotional & mentyal beings, also physical bodies. One aspect always influences the others. Caring for our physical well-being can have significant benefit for our emotional standing. One simple action to choose happiness is to choose healthy foods. Your physical body will thank you & so will your emotional well-being. Meditate Find time alone in solitude. As our world increases in speed & noise, the ability to withdraw becomes even more essential. Studies confirm the importance & life-giving benefits of meditation. So, take time, to make time. Use meditation to search inward, connect spiritually & improve your happiness daily. Search for benefits in your pain Life can be difficult; nobody escapes without pain. At some point-in some way-we all encounter it. When you do, remind yourself again that trials may be difficult, but they will pass & search deep to find meaning in the pain. Choose to look for the benefits that could be found in your trial. At the very least, perseverance is being built. Most likely, the ability to comfort others in their pain is also being developed. Happiness is not by chance, but by choice! Choose it every day!
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