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Five Choices to Create Happiness

We have all met people who just seem to be happy most of the time. We tend to assume they are just naturally happy, or that they are the lucky people who have an easy life, or they had really loving parents. In reality, happy people are making specific choices regarding their thinking and behavior. Here are five specific choices that happy people can make:

OPTIMISM – Happy people see the glass as half full, while unhappy people choose to be pessimistic – to see the glass as half empty. Optimistic thinking does not just happen; it is a choice regarding how you see life. Optimistic people are optimistic because they choose to be optimistic and open to the wonderful possibilities that life has to offer.

KINDNESS – Happy people choose to be kind and compassionate toward themselves and others. Happy people have learned that how they treat themselves and others determines much of how they feel. Happy people realize that their happiness is the result of their caring behavior, not the cause of it.

FORGIVENESS – Happy people do not harbor resentment toward others, even others who have been mean and hurtful toward them. They realize that resentment makes them unhappy, so they choose to allow forgive hurtful behavior.

ACCEPTANCE – Happy people realize what they can control and what they can’t, which can lead to inner peace. Unhappy people are constantly trying to change people and circumstances. As a result, they are constantly frustrated. Happy people realize they cannot control others and outcomes, so they focus on what they can control – their own thinking and behavior.

GRATITUDE – Finally, happy people are consistently grateful for what they have, rather than complaining about what they don’t have. They notice the many gifts and blessings that come their way and they frequently express gratitude for the everyday things in their lives – the beauty of nature, the food they eat, the smile on a friend’s face, their ability to see, hear, walk, talk.

If you want to be happy, then you need to recognize that happiness is the result of your thinking and behavior, not the cause of it. If you choose to focus on becoming conscious of what thoughts and behavior make you feel happy, you can become a happy person – regardless of your present circumstances. Happiness does not just happen; it takes work!