― Bronnie Ware,
Author of The Top Five Regrets Of The Dying
A lot many people in this world ‘believe’ that happiness isn’t something that we can choose, and that it bestows itself only upon the lucky few who have accumulated some good karmas in their past. They look at the positivity of the happy beings, their heartwarming smiles, and all the good things that happiness brings their way, and they wonder, “only if we were that lucky, but we’re stuck with responsibilities, debts! God didn’t give us the opportunities, friends, social circle …,” and the list of reason why they can’t be happy goes on and on! But, what if we say that happiness is just a positive sight away? What if we say that happiness is not a result of life’s circumstances, but a choice that is present in each and every situation?

Your friend calls you for an outing, but you refuse because you have work to do, or, perhaps your kids are too young to be left on their own. You feel bad about yourself and continue with the “work” that you chose over an opportunity that could have made you happy. The happy beings don’t do what you just did. If they really see an opportunity to be happy, they grab it. They would have put a hold on the “everyday work”, perhaps left the kids with their grandma, or tagged them along, but never sulk on their choices. Irrespective of the fact whether you get a call from anyone for an outing or not, you should initiate your own happiness. Why not take the kids to the beach one sunny day and spend the entire day playing and laughing with them? You choose how you spend the time God has given you with your wonderful kids! Either to take it as a burden, or live it as if a blessing!
You’re a hardworking employee who seldom finds time for family and friends because work keeps you busy.
You wish you could get all the time to stay at home with your loved ones, but you are the one that earns money for them and hence work is, unwillingly, your first priority. You may love your work, perhaps you’re darn good at it, but are you truly happy? Are you living your life without any guilt or regrets when it comes to the amount of happiness that you have within and around you? You promise to spend time with your family this weekend but your boss invites you for a game of golf instead. You heavily tell your family and see their hearts break. Now, we know that it’s difficult to say no to your boss, but what choice do you have? Well, you do have a choice! If it matters so much to you, why don’t you include both your boss and your family in the plan? You can always have a wonderful weekend at some resort or countryside where there can be golf, family, food, and fun. You can work it out if you really want to, and surround yourself with happy faces all along!
We can give you endless examples of how you can choose to be happy, and all these examples will come down to just one bottom line―how you take your life, how you see the opportunities, and how you choose to use them! Did you know? In psychology, it is believed that the feelings of happiness, joy, excitement, and alertness is associated with the left side of the brain, while depression, anxiety, and worry is linked with the right. A study done in the University of Wisconsin by Professor Richard Davidson states that meditation may actually help shift the brain activity from right to left, inducing happiness and joy instead of worry and depression.