Amma JO Magazine: Happiness Is A Choice

‘I’m just not happy.’ How does that sentence resonate with you? Does that describe what you say within yourself one too many times during the course of one day? Most importantly, what are you going to do about it?

We all want to be happy. We all want to be fulfilled. At the end of the day, we all want to feel a sense of accomplishment and a sense of worth.

When it all comes down to it, happiness is a choice. Too often, we WAIT for our situation to be what we think is ‘perfect’ and then we decide to be happy. However, we must choose happiness NOW. Choose to enjoy your spouse. Choose to enjoy your family. Choose to enjoy time with your friends. Choose to enjoy the moment you’re in right now. Think about it. Whatever you think about will become the atmosphere you create in your life.

Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Listen, you only live once and life is much too short to sit around waiting and waiting and waiting.

So, now the question becomes, how can I be happy?

1. You must start taking inventory of your thoughts. It kind of sounds funny, but pay attention to your thoughts! Be aware of the thoughts that you’re thinking! Practice exchanging thoughts. Take out the negative and replace it with the positive.

2. Take time to enjoy your life. So many of us simply need to just go out and have a good time. We just don’t have enough fun. We go from work to home to work to home to work to home IGNORING the fulfillment of everyday life. Do something fun with your kids or your family and friends.

3. Get spiritually and emotionally healthy. As I Christian, I can definitely say that so much of how I FEEL is centered around how grounded I am. When I take the time to center in and focus on the BIGGER picture, it really helps me to put life into perspective and when that happens, you start to draw from a deeper well. Deeper than just having stuff or having a great job or a nice house. When you’re focused, you get past all the ‘noise’ around you and center in on what you want and true happiness comes.

4. Change your surroundings. We really need to learn to go new places and meet new people. You will be shocked by how your life and your mindset can change simply by changing your surroundings. Reach out to new friends and people who can pour into your life and keep you energized and refreshed. Go someplace new! Too many times, we stay stuck in the atmosphere we’re comfortable with. It’s time to break out!

5. LET GO OF THE PAST! Focusing on negative things from your past is a sure trap to steal your happiness! YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE PAST, but you CAN change your future.

6. Stay away from bitterness and ALWAYS BE FORGIVING! Studies show that bitterness and anger can affect our health in so many ways physically and mentally. You truly have to learn to forgive the people who hurt you. You see, when you hold on to hurt, the only person you’re hurting is you. Let go of those hurts because it holds us back from seeing the joys of life!