Bad drivers, annoying people on the grocery store line, whining children, unappreciative or insensitive others, demanding bosses and customers, richer people, differences in perspectives—along with more serious things like environmental disasters, tragedies, sickness and death—are part of life and always will be. But how day-to-day stuff impacts our sense of happiness is an internal matter of perception. ✨
For example: Imagine driving and getting cut off. One choice is to get all worked up and have a screaming match. Another option? Just let them in. Maybe they’re oblivious or in a rush or just a bad driver. Whatever. Their action need not impact our happiness even for a moment. ✨
Happiness is not something we need to “get.” We don’t “deserve” to be happy (which well-meaning friends are quick to tell us), nor will it come by “working harder.” In fact, sometimes people find the opposite to be true. Too much “working” to get happy can make happiness feel elusive. Also, contrary to any belief we may have, money won’t buy us happiness: The amount of money we need to feel happy and secure is more likely correlated to how much we spend. ✨
Being happy is not a selfish act. Achieving a happy state is generous and a gift we offer to all humankind. Happiness results from choosing to focus more on the good that’s happening around us versus the bad. ✨
We’re all walking a tightrope in life: Focusing forward, not looking down, doing our best to maintain balance with our emotions. By choosing to notice positives in the world, we all feel happier, and think and perform better. Physical health improves as well as our sense of well-being. Our relationships improve, as does communication. Our experience of life gets better. Happiness improves by choosing to see good, which is everywhere, if we choose to see it. None of this implies putting our heads in the sand: Instead, it is about viewing solutions by realizing most people are good and that together we can make things good and right. Imagine a world where we could each spend more time noticing “good”: Complimenting the good in others and rejoicing about good whenever we observe it.✨
