Choosing Happiness
Did you know that it's up to you? It's actually your choice. You can choose to be happy instead of waiting around for it
to suddenly appear out of nowhere one day and land in your
lap. Happiness is called upon and cultivated. Now keep in mind, this is my personal perspective of
happiness. You might have a different view. Everyone has a
unique view point, especially where emotion is concerned.
But, nonetheless, I like my outlook on happiness. It helps
me to see that I am the creator of my own thoughts and state
of mind. It is my choice what feeling I choose to have on
any given day. This does not mean I don't go with the flow
of feelings, but that I can choose at any given moment to
change what it is I desire. For example, if I am having a hectic day, and I do have my
share, I can choose to be breathless with activity or I can
remind myself to stop and choose to be calm. I can go out
for a walk and embrace the beauty that surrounds me and
choose to experience that aesthetic as appreciation,
gratitude, joy or numbness. I can choose to vacate and
disconnect from my feelings, I can space out and be
oblivious, or I can call upon the grace of the moment and be
one with the beauty. These are all options. I think we as a society, collectively lose sight of how
powerfull we really are. I mean really full of power. We
have the power to choose. It is something we are born with. No one has the power to take that away from us. It is our
birthright. The key to owning that power fully, is to accept that you
are a rightful heir to it. Knowing that you are empowered
within to choose your emotion, to choose how you respond or
react to something, is all up to you. It is all choice. Many times, our childhood experiences and life learning gear
us away from our power. We learned to give it all away, to
quietly accept whatever happens to us, without question,
without standing up and saying 'No!' We have become a
passive society of powerless and uninspired automatons,
going along with the crowd. It's a sad state of affairs
that we have been raised in. Somewhere along the line, a
standard was laid out and we are 'expected' to magically
meet this invisible 'standard' by compromising and living
according to someone else's perspectives. Where is the
happiness in that? I guess that leads me back to my original statement. Choosing happiness is a choice. Anytime you choose, you are making a decision. You are
engaging your power. Think about how you are feeling right now. How long has it
been since you chose what you wanted to feel? I am not suggesting that you go into a state of denial if
you are in trauma, but I am suggesting that you insert a new
option for yourself. Instead of sitting in pain, decide for
10 minutes that you will focus on happiness. How does it make you feel? Are you lighter? Was a burden
lifted? Even if it was a mere 10 minutes, it was a starting
point. It was a choice. Would you rather go through life
choosing happiness and drawing happy experiences to you, or
by sitting in pain and expecting the worst, thereby feeling
the worst? It is still a choice. It is your choice. I ask only that this stirs a thought within you. It is my
hope that you will look at the power you possess and carpe
diem ? seize the day! Make a choice! Choose to experience
happiness in your life. It's all up to you. Enjoy ? or not- it's your choice. © 2004 Jodie Foster Jodie Foster is an Intuitive Counselor who assists clients to create extraordinary transformations in their everyday lives. Her work is uplifting, empowering and success-oriented. You can visit Jodie's website at http://www.illuminationsnetwork.com for further information and to schedule a private intuitive session. You can also look for weekly updates to her blog at: http://intuitiveinnovations.blogspot.com. Publisher's Guidelines: You may freely publish this article online, in email newsletters, or in print so long as the resource box and byline are in tact. Author would appreciate a notification, but that is optional.
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