Happiness is a Choice!

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.” – Dalai Lama

Happiness is a choice. It has been affirmed by great & famous people multiple times. 

A baby smiles 400-500 times a day whereas an adult manages only 20-30 times. This itself is a reflection of the fact that we are born pure, devoid of any vices with only happiness lodged in our system. However it changes with each year we start growing as an individual, our state of mind gets affected by the external factors with us getting exposed to a lot of emotions. 

There is no secret recipe to happiness; it is a state of mind. For achieving this state of mind, one needs to make a lot of efforts and personal work which can be challenging for some. 

Dr. Joseph Murphy, the author of the bestseller ‘The power of your subconscious mind’ said that when you wake up in the morning; say to yourself “I choose happiness today” multiple times. There is a science behind it. When we wake up our mind is fresh and whatever we think at that time mostly decides how the rest of our day will go. Our thoughts have a direct impact on our mood and decisions therefore it is all the more important for us to keep it positive & constructive.

Everyone desires to be happy and each individual have their own criteria & benchmarks for happiness. Although our body has few chemicals that generate happiness–endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, they won’t be effective if our state of mind is unhappy & negative. To ensure a happy state of mind, here are a few simple things that can be helpful –

1. Determine the things that give you happiness. It can be as small as taking a long walk, nurturing your hobby, meditation, writing a journal or travelling. The list can be endless however the idea is to invest your time and mind in something that gives your happiness chemicals the necessary stimulation.

2. Keep your thoughts in check. You are what you think. If you think about a person/place or a situation which is unpleasant and creates negative emotions in you, you need to switch your mind quickly to something which relaxes your nerves. This will require some efforts, you need to train your mind to snap out of sad/hurtful thoughts and focus again on the things which gives you joy.

3. Taking care of the body and health is very important. There has been a lot written on how certain food affects our body in a positive & negative manner. Having a healthy diet rich with greens, fruits and juices is recommended and the oily/greasy food intake should be minimum. If you feel good, you will do good.

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4. Quit comparing yourself with others. This is one of the most common reasons for being unhappy because we compare ourselves to others around us and try to find things we don’t have. It is always advisable to not compare yourself with anybody else but to be your best self. If you still feel the need to compare, compare your present self with your previous version. 

5. Be compassionate to others. ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’. Helping others in any way possible always brings a great sense of happiness. 

Your thoughts and emotions can be sometimes out of control but if you choose happiness, you can always switch back to the same. Take a deep breath, close your eyes, think about the positives you have in life and your ‘happy self’ will be back. 

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We all need to remember that We are the one who can create our happiness. Choose happiness.