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If you had the choice, would you rather be happy with the things you have or not happy with the things you have?

Commonsense says most people would choose happiness. Who likes to suffer? Who likes to never feel fulfilled? No one. But as I go throughout my days I notice many people seem to choose pain and misery. They look for things to be upset about. They look for ways to feel victimized. Why can’t the simply fact of being alive be enough of a reason to be happy? Certainly it is worth more than anything we could have in this world or any other.

I understand life can be a burden at times, but that is not an excuse to live miserably; even the most dreadful of obligations can be seen as something valuable and good.

Living in happiness doesn’t mean only experiencing pleasure and never experiencing pain. It means being content; not the dumb and docile kind of “content,” but the meaningful and satisfying content. The content that comes from making the best of every moment.

I don’t see happiness as something that can be obtained or possessed – it has to be created. It is a bliss that comes from inside you and pours out like paint onto a canvas. It’s flow, a free and spontaneous dance of energy between you and your environment.

It is okay to embrace the irrationality of our existence, especially if it means more joy. Why not practice smiling and singing for no reason whatsoever, except that it feels good. Think of how much better life would be if you only added a bit of happiness to it? Even just a dose of it here, and a dose of it there can be empowering.

Commonsense says be happy right now but as Voltaire once said, “commonsense is not so common.” That is why I want readers of this article to step back, take a few deep breaths, and re-acquaint themselves with something they have known all along: happiness is here for the taking.

Because happiness comes from within and not from without, it is abundant. Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert says we synthesize our own happiness. As long as you are breathing then there is an opportunity to be happy. No other conditions are required.

Now — some may find this post too optimistic, others may be offended by the crudeness of my message, but this is something I had to get off my chest. You won’t find happiness out there; no matter how wealthy you become, no matter how dedicated you are to the pursuit. The decision is to be made here and now; and if that isn’t good enough for you then you will always be waiting.



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