Happiness is a Choice! By: Chevon Gibson 

Happiness! We all desire to be happy. I can’t think of one person who desires misery. What is happiness and why are so many people searching for it on a daily basis? You would think that happiness is just something that happens naturally.

Let’s start with this: What makes you happy? Is it having tons of money, having a great job, or owning a huge house with a fancy car? Society, defines happiness as living the American dream or being able to do and say what you want. Other Examples Include: Finishing high school, going to college, graduating, starting a career, making six or seven figures, getting married, buying a house, and having children.

I guarantee a lot of us started listing those things I just described. Why? Because contrary to popular belief, we’re always trying to measure up to a standards. Usually, as humans our happiness is contingent on whether we feel successful or not. Let me be clear, these are societal standards that were created by people. Therefore, you don’t need them to be happy. To truly obtain happiness we must learn to accept ourselves as we are and make the choice to be happy. That’s right, happiness is a choice. A choice is being able to choose your preference. That mean you define what happiness is for you.

What if I told you there are some people with all of those things I shared, and are still unhappy? You wouldn't believe how many people have went to college, obtained their degree in a field they didn’t even like, and started a career, just to make their parents proud. Or the person who got married to the doctor, because mom said “Don't marry a blue-collar worker they don't make any money.” Or better yet purchased a house and really didn't have a desire to stay there more than five years. So many people make these mistakes, because they've adopted the concept of living to please people. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if that’s you, please understand that your current pursuit is not the pursuit of happiness, but the pursuit of misery.

Unfortunately, society has defined what happiness is for so many, which no longer makes it a choice. Choose today to be happy!

Happiness is a mental state of well-being characterized by positive emotions ranging form contentment to intense joy. My definition is feeling satisfied that something is right or has been done right in my own eyes, but accepted by God.

The power of being able to make a choice and being satisfied with it gives me joy. What if I didn't want to follow the sequence of societal happiness or choose a career that was pleasing to my parents, or wait to get married after I graduated from college, or buy a house in the Suburbs. Would I still be happy? It would depend on if you were satisfied with my decisions.

I remember my parents telling me that if I wanted to be happy I needed to finish school, go to college, find a job, work hard, get married, have kids, and that’s it. Their standards were similar to that of society. We must get out of the business of being ordinary and being people pleasers. You must learn to forge towards your own personal dreams, aspirations, and life’s purpose. Constantly trying to live up to others expectations will always let you down, which will cause you to have more unhappy days than happy days. Who cares if you never here the words “I’m proud of you,” ever again in life. I know I don’t! Remember, it's just a figure of speech expressed when a person has met or exceeded someone’s expectation other than their own. What if you reached every mark that was put in front of you and remained unhappy? It wouldn't prove anything other than you're capable.

Stop right now! You deserve to be happy. Just be you! You are your own person, with your own purpose, and your own course for life. How you get there is between you and GOD. So enjoy the journey without regret. Life is too short to live in someone else’s box.   

I have a few questions for you:

Can you honestly say you're happy? Are you living up to other expectations? Have you been bamboozled by life because you are too busy trying to meet the mark? Do you want to look like the good person in they eyes of un-perfect people? Do you?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, I encourage you to make the choice to redefine happiness for yourself.

Happiness is a Choice and it’s Your Choice!