Living Happy is a CHOICE

Today was a bad day for me. Lately, it does not seem to matter what I do or say, even with the best intentions in mind, it is wrong. It can be and is very frustrating. Not knowing where to go or what to do...how to fix it...what happens next, and the list goes on. For a while, I let it (the situation) rule and take over my attitude for the remainder of the day. I was invited to a friend's house later tonight and got to the point where I was shutting down. I was not going to go to something that I was looking forward to, although I knew going in that it was not my element. I wasn't going to go to my friend's house and told Rocky not to come tomorrow to run. Ultimately, she understood and told me that it was my choice. Later on in the day, I changed my perspective. I told myself that I was not going to let something bad that happened ruin the rest of my day. That was not fair to me and I would let the situation win. Even though it was not something I would pick, I decided go and said to myself, "Why not?" An hour and half before I was supposed to be at my friend's house, I called her to tell her I was coming. I was going to surprise her, but thought I had better tell her before I showed up and she told everyone I wasn't going to be there. Because I was not in my element, I found myself getting a little reminder (she pretends to turn pages on a magazine) about where I needed to be. I surrendered to being "all in". Enjoying the moment, for whatever was in front of me and I CHOSE to live happy. It is a conscious decision and one that must be made every day. You cannot let the negative moments creep in to our lives so that we focus on that...you will drown in that river every time. You choose to swim and fight the current that tries to drag you down, but you have to fight through it. Living happy is a choice, not a guarantee or easy. It is difficult and it is not something you "try" - you "do". One of the first sayings that I ever found that made an enormous impact on me was, "You will never change your life until you change your choices." Choose to change your life - want something different - be ready to face challenges - go where you never thought you would go - love like there is no tomorrow - be all in - have no regrets. As much as I might have been uncomfortable this evening, I had a great time. I am sure people learned more about me than they ever thought they could in 3 hours and who knows what will happen next. I told my friend that she "owed me big time" and she knows it. But as I sit here thinking about how the night went, I won't ever collect. There truly is no need. I needed her to push me outside my comfort zone and just be me. A couple of drinks doesn't hurt either. LOL! I learned something tonight - living happy is a conscious decision made with effort and thought. It does not happen by accident. Why would you choose to live miserably when you can choose to live happy? It is actually easier than you think it is. Give it a try. You know you want to.