One of the biggest changes for me in the last 18 months has been the conscious decision to be happy. It’s a choice. This doesn’t mean that I’m constantly happy. I’m human. I react to things that are happening around me but once I’m conscious of how I’m feeling, I can choose to be happy in that moment.

I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it. — Groucho Marx

So is it really just as quick and easy as that? For me it takes one thing. Gratitude. Whenever I notice that something’s got me down, I can quickly think of one thing for which I’m grateful. I’m thankful for my family, my friends, my job, my home and all of the little things that we sometimes take for granted. That one thought leads to another and another. Then there’s a smile and a whistle and a tapping of the fingers and suddenly things are good.

Sounds like denial, right? No. It’s being aware of your surroundings and your emotions. It’s knowing what you can and can’t control. If something is bothering you that you can control, then take control and change it. If you can’t control it, then worrying and stressing and getting all wound up about it changes nothing.

Start your day with gratitude. Practice gratitude whenever you think about it throughout the day. Being grateful for what I have makes me happy. Being happy allows my mind the freedom to find a path through the obstacles that happen around me.

Have you chosen to be happy today?