How to Be Happy

There are days when I wonder how some people can make it through the day smiling. I have discovered that being happy is a state of mind. You must make a conscious effort to find joy. You do not have to be a so-called morning person to find something happy about each day. Each person deserves to be able to wake up in their own way, to open their minds to the world ahead, and to prepare themselves mentally for what is to come.

Being happy is something that enhances your life rather than something that you must do to get through life. No one absolutely has to be happy. By the same token, being happy is not something that must occur every minute of every day of your life. Sometimes you must purge yourself of the unhappy feelings, which means accepting that it is okay to feel a certain way for a certain period of time. Knowing that may make it easier to accept yourself as well as the happiness you so much deserve in your life. Everyone deserves to feel happy, but everyone also has a right to work through any negative feelings to be able to get to that point of joy. Negative feelings are not wrong. They are just feelings we need to learn to handle in a positive way.

So many times a parent will squash a child's right to feel when disciplining that child. To make your child feel like it is wrong to be angry or sad or sick is unhealthy and that child will later become a confused adult. I have many times heard someone say to a child, "Stop that crying. Don't get mad. What is your problem?" If you can not bear to see your child working through his or her emotion, at least give them the respect of allowing privacy and time for their moments. Teaching them the right ways to express these emotions will help them learn to be responsible and balanced.

A person who feels true happiness will find no need to prey upon someone else's misery to be happy. Although it can be gratifying to see someone else "get what they deserve", it is detrimental to the balance of your well-being to make this your sole contributor to happiness. Many people mistakenly assume that it is rewarding to enjoy revenge or bitterness. It actually creates a negative effect.