Choosing Happiness: Shift Your Perspective and Enjoy Life

Happiness is a state of mind. Period. Whenever I’m going through an adverse situation, I make a conscious effort to choose happiness no matter the circumstance. Life is short. Why spend it unhappy, depressed, stressed, or fearful?

I was an emotional hot mess in my 20’s. I dealt with anxiety and depression for years. I took everything personally, overreacted to problems, and wallowed in every negative event that happened in my life. Drama queen (yep it’s the Cancer sign in me). It took a while for me to change my perspective and see the positive in certain situations. Eventually, I realized that some things just aren’t that serious. Some situations don’t need a reaction, you can walk away from toxic relationships/friendships, and most importantly, you can start over if things don’t go as planned.

If someone disappoints you, instead of letting negative thoughts fester, you have the choice to lower your expectations and learn from that person’s behavior. I learned the hard way that having high expectations of people can be hurtful.

If you hate your job, you don’t have to settle and be unhappy. Figure out what you truly want to do with your life and be diligent in finding better employment. You don’t have to deal with a horrible boss or gossiping coworkers, you have a higher calling!

The beautiful thing about life is that you can learn from negative situations and choose happiness. Perspective is everything. You can see the glass as half empty or half full. You can choose to cry or sing. You can choose to dance or stay seated. Happiness is a choice.

Here are a few books I highly recommend that shifted my perspective, helped me to focus on positive thinking, and assisted me on the journey of choosing happiness:

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry
• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
• Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life by Gary John Bishop
• The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
• The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz
• Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes
• The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life by Shawn Achor

My life got so much easier and less stressful when I started to choose joy and happiness over being depressed or unhappy. I decided to beam with happiness and count my blessings. Thank God for personal growth and development.

Let your light radiate! Happy women are the prettiest!

Talk to me!

What are some books you have read that changed your perspective about happiness? Any personal advice you would like to share on choosing happiness through adversity?

I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to share comments, questions, and feedback below.