You can choose what you will read, listen to, and what you will believe.
You can choose what you will eat, drink, and what you will say and do.
You can even choose to let go of fear, hatred, unhappiness, depression and self-pity.
You can choose the best for yourself and choose the best in yourself.
Finally, you can choose the best in everyone else as well. You can choose to see someone as a “teacher,” rather than as an enemy.
What you choose expands the reality that you experience. Choose well my friend! – Lionel Ketchian
This was part of an article entitled “Solving Problems.” It comes from the Happiness Newsletter and e-newsletter from Lionel Ketchian, founder of the Happiness Club http://happinessclub.com. I have been receiving it for over a year and it never fails to brighten my day.
The concept of happiness as a choice is a fascinating one for me. I have come to understand happiness and mood as an intermingling of hormones, environment, life circumstances and so much more. But, remembering that happiness is ultimately a choice that we all make is really empowering – and humbling too. It’s easy (and even comforting) to blame a bad mood on illness, lack of sleep, too much stress, or a million other reasons that seem perfectly justified. However, when it comes down to it, no matter how bad you think you have it, it could always be worse. So, why wallow in self-pity and sink yourself deeper in despair? Choose to see the situation differently, choose to focus only on the positive, and choose to be as happy as you can be as often as possible.
I’m sick today – on day 5 of a nasty virus. So, it’s particularly fitting that I write this now, as much of what I write is often meant to serve as a gentle reminder to myself with also the hopes of helping others along the way. I’m choosing to be grateful that my symptoms are not worse, that I have plenty of orange juice in the house, and that my bed has kept me warm and cozy. I am also reminding myself that while happiness right now is a struggle, this too shall pass, and when it does I will embrace my health with a renewed sense of appreciation and joy. 🙂