Happiness is a choice. Whether we want to believe it or not, we are responsible for how happy we are. There is a lot of power in realizing that we are in charge of our own happiness. No one else gets to call the shots. And while our friends and family can be a part of our “happiness team” they don’t get to decide how to play the game or what that game even looks like. The best cheering section is the one that will cheer you on no matter what.
Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
Abraham Lincoln
One theory in psychology research suggests that we all have a happiness “set-point” that largely determines our overall well-being. We oscillate around this set point, becoming happier when something positive happens or the opposite, afterwards returning to equilibrium.
But this set-point, to a certain extent, can be reset. Although our general mood levels and well-being are partially determined by factors like genetics and upbringing, roughly 40 percent of our happiness is within our control, according to some experts, and a large body of research in the field of positive psychology has shown that happiness is a choice that anyone can make.
The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.
William James
There isn’t one right way to be happy. There isn’t a specific formula that everyone must follow to find true happiness. There isn’t a secret recipe on the back of the Lucky Charms box. In fact, what works for one person may not work for another because finding our happy is deeply personal. But it is possible and is entirely up to each of us.
Here is a lovely poem by Vanessa Hughes
Choose Happy
Choose to be happy
Take that option today
Find delight
In a contented way
We opt for ‘If only’
We had this or that
Our lives would be better
Instead of being flat
‘If things were different’
I’d be so content
But if things were different
About other things we’d vent
So be mindful of what
You think you need
Happiness doesn’t come
From material feed
Nor does it come from
People or praise
It comes from within
And with you, it stays
Choose to be happy
It’s by far the best way
Then watch how your life
Improves every day
Kenrick Vaz 