It seems like we are infatuated with the idea of pursing happiness instead of the actual experience of it. We think about how happy we will be when it’s Friday, how much we are looking forward to our vacation, or how much better things will be when we get XYZ complete.  Little do we realize that we are robbing ourselves of joy in those exact moments.

I challenge you to stop thinking about how you might be happy and take this moment to experience it. You have the power to choose happiness.  I’m not suggesting you ignore the tough stuff or gloss over real pain. I am inviting you to decide how you want to frame out your current experience.  Focus on one thing that is positive, one person that is helpful, or one moment that made you smile today.  Instead of reflecting on the 20 things that went wrong, write down something that went right or worked well.  Think about one of the hardest things you ever did and take a moment to celebrate all of your work and energy that helped you during that time.

If that still doesn’t help; here some other ideas that can help you hit the re-set button and dial up the happiness level for today:

• Call someone you love and tell them you love them.
• Write a letter to someone you appreciate and tell them 3 reasons you appreciate them.
• List out your top strengths in life and write about how you use them each day.
• Spend at least 2 minutes stretching your body.
• Perform 5 acts of kindness in one day.
• Figure out a goal that you want to set for yourself and write about this goal for a few minutes.
• Give yourself permission to do exactly what you want today.
• Look for something beautiful until you find it.
• Think about the last time you smiled.

These ideas will not prevent heartbreak, or stress that occurs with all life; but they are opportunities to ground you with a natural state of which promotes resiliency and hopefulness.  Being happy is not about what will happen when you pass that test, clean out your closet, or get through the holidays; it’s about where you are right now.  Whenever possible, choose happiness!