Do You Really Want To Be "HAPPY"?

A lot of people will tell you, "I really want to be happy!" But what do they think about? What do they dwell on?

When you really want to be happy, you quit complaining about your arthritis. When you really want to be happy, you quit resenting your boyfriend. Maybe you leave him, maybe you don't, but either way, you throw out your mental list of all his faults.

If you really want to be happy, you will be. We become addicted to misery and complaining.

Mary says, "Well, this happened so I have to talk about it". No you don't, Mary!" You don't have to eat everything you see and you don't have to talk about everything that happens.

Some people say they want to be happy, but it is not an intense burning desire. It is more like, "I want to be happy if I don't have to change how I think". That's not a big enough commitment. When we have suffered enough, then we get serious. We decide, "I can't take it anymore, I want to be happy".

This might come as a shock. If you aren't happy now, maybe you haven't wanted it enough. When you really, really want to be happy, here is what will happen:

• You will think about things that make you feel good.
• You will talk about things that make you feel good.

Here's a simple exercise:

Every morning when you open your eyes, decide to be happy. Not for forever, just today. Tell yourself, "Today I want to be happy".

In the shower, tell yourself, " I want to be happy".

When the neighbours are screaming, when some idiot cuts you off on the freeway, tell yourself,

"I want to be happy".

When everything seems to be going wrong, and when everything seems to be going right, tell yourself, "I want to be happy".

You become what you think about.