Are you tired of feeling sad? Do you envy the happy people you see around you? Are you ready to try some new things in the search for happiness? Happiness is a choice, but getting there can be difficult when you do not feel happy. The following strategies are all things you can start today, and you might even notice happiness creeping into your day right away!

First Way to Choose Happiness: Let Go

Let go of trying to make everyone else happy. Whether you are a mom, a student, a supervisor, or a teacher, you can choose happiness by not focusing on making other people happy. It is not your job. You can be kind, helpful, and supportive because you are kind, helpful, and supportive. Not because you think it will make other people happy.

Take the pressure off yourself to make everybody else’s world perfect. Instead, think about what is right for you, and how you can express the goodness within you. Let go of the impossible job of pleasing others.

Second Way to Choose Happiness: Think Good Thoughts

You might feel overwhelmed with all the thoughts buzzing around in your head—worries, pressures, memories, what-ifs, things you “should” do but don’t. Your mind is a powerful, resilient, part of who you are. You can choose to think good thoughts instead of the thoughts that bring you down. When you choose happiness, you think good thoughts.

Do not be hard on yourself when you find yourself thinking negative thoughts. Instead stop, refocus, and change your thoughts. It might help to give yourself some good phrases you can repeat to yourself. Even something as simple as thinking “I love myself” over and over can teach your brain to think good thoughts.

Third Way to Choose Happiness: Practice Speaking Thoughtfully

You can choose happiness with the words you say. Practice speaking thoughtfully. Instead of criticizing, blaming, or complaining, try listening, loving, and supporting. You have control over what you say, but you might need to change some of the ways you have gotten used to speaking. Instead of reacting to others, work on choosing your words.

As you change the way you speak your feelings start to change. It is another amazing thing about yourself. You can change the way you feel when you change your thoughts and words. Ready for happiness? Start with good thoughts and thoughtful words.

One-Half Way to Choose Happiness: Enjoy Good Enough

The pressure that other people try to put on us is often nothing compared to the pressure we put on ourselves. We have high expectations for what we have decided we need to achieve. Anything less than perfect is just not good enough. This approach is a guaranteed way to destroy our happiness.

Choose happiness by choosing to enjoy being good enough. This means letting go of the pressure you put on yourself to be perfect. Instead of kicking yourself for not securing that impossible contract, enjoy the small contracts you have won. Instead of hating yourself for not having a clean house, enjoy the one area you tidied up today. The key is to let yourself off the hook for achieving the impossible and enjoy your life as it is now.

So, choose happiness today. Let go, think good thoughts, practice speaking thoughtfully, and enjoy good enough. Try each of these approaches and notice your happiness increase sooner than you might think possible.

Are you ready to continue learning how to choose happiness? Our Internal Empowerment Program  gives you the tools to take full control of your life and make the best choices for today and your future. We are looking forward to connecting with you!