Recently I noticed a sign on the roadside that said, “BE HAPPY.” It seemed to stick with me as I drove along. Suddenly the music XM station I was listening to started to play Grammy Award winner Pharrell Williams’ tune “Because I’m Happy.”  It finally hit me: what a great thought… ”BE HAPPY!” 

Life is full of many twists and turns. It bombards us with so many negatives each day, whether it comes in a conversation of despair with a neighbor or colleague or via reports on the radio, Internet, or television. The more we hear these negative thoughts, the more “down” we can become. BEING HAPPY with all this negative attack becomes a seemingly improbable task. But as Marcus Antonius once noted, “The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”  

Each morning when we awake, we have a choice. We can choose to BE HAPPY that we awoke to face new opportunities, or we can choose to be sad due to the fact that we had to wake up to another mess that life has presented. It is clearly a choice. We can make a day great or bad simply by the manner in which we allow our minds to experience our current situation. Just as Aristotle said, “Happiness depends upon ourselves.” 

Don’t you just hate those “eternal optimists?” You know, those individuals who seemingly find value and options regardless of what situation may confront them.

• They choose to look for the good.
• When they are faced with “stumbling blocks” to reach a goal, they find a way to turn those “stumbling blocks” into “stepping stones” and forge ahead.
• They choose to see the glass as being “half full” and celebrate the 20% chance of sunshine rather than focusing on the 80% chance of rain.
• They also are thankful for each day they awaken and set about to spread their enthusiastic positive energy to others they meet.
• They understand that  “A journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step,” and choose their steps wisely so that they are always in control of their destination.

Yes, those “eternal optimists"; we can choose to hate them, but they do make a great case on how to view and live life, don’t they! 

Truthfully, life is uncertain. It has no set guarantees and makes no promises. It isn’t without challenge or sadness or even pain. However, for those who choose to take the pathway of the “eternal optimist” and BE HAPPY, it will enable those brave individuals to experience its potential rewards in a more satisfying manner. When life’s best can be grasped, it will aid in reducing stress, providing clarity of effective action, and promoting the enjoyment of personal and professional goal attainment. 

So, each day you awake brings with it the opportunity to choose.

• Strive to look for the best life can provide.
• Follow the light of day not the darkness of night.

As Norman Vincent Peale told us, “Nothing gives such complete and profound happiness as the perpetually fresh wonder and mystery of exciting life.” Give it a try. BE HAPPY!