All our lives, we’re faced with choices.  When we’re young, the choices are fairly simple, should I play with the red ball, or the blue blocks.  As we get older, the choices get a little tougher – should I go to the movies, or study, go to college, or get a job.  As we mature, the choices get tougher, buy a house, or rent, have children or wait a little longer.  We also have one very important fundamental choice to make, and the funny thing about it is, nobody ever tells us about this choice.  Nobody ever explains that we actually have an option.  We have to decide whether to be happy, or not.  It sounds kind of silly when you think about it, but it’s true.  We get to decide if we’re going to be happy or not.  That doesn’t mean we won’t have to face difficult situations – this is real life after all.  But it does mean we get to decide how we deal with the situations life gives us.  Not many people realize that. 

Do I still have days where I’m down and things aren’t going well?  Of course I do.  As I said before, I live in the real world, and not in some mystical fairyland – though if anybody knows of a mystical fairyland that’s accepting immigrants, let me know, please – but since I started Think Positive 30, those days are easier to deal with.  I simply look at all the GOOD things that are happening and focus on them.  It’s such a simple tool, really, but it works so well.

When you think about it, it’s pretty empowering.  We get to decide if we want to be happy, or sad.