By Lisa Cypers Kamen.
Are you stuck? Do problems always seem to get you down? Are you waiting for the right things to happen so that you can finally be happy? For many people, happiness is an enigma. Happy feelings come and go, yet it is not something that is a constant state of being in life. But it doesn’t have to be this way! It is yet possible for happiness to be one of the most dependable elements of your life.
When we get trapped in the little boxes that we create for ourselves, we find ourselves feeling miserable, lost, and alone. Maybe we think we need a new job. Maybe we think we need a new partner or more money. Maybe we think we need more time off from work or a nice vacation. The list of “maybes” can become quite long. Maybe we should stop thinking so much. Maybe we should just make a decision. Just maybe, happiness is a choice.
Have you ever considered that your happiness, or your H-Factor, is a choice or a simple decision you make regardless of the circumstances of your life?
The interesting thing that happens when we surrender to happiness is that the doors around us start to open. Rather than finding ourselves trapped with now way out, solutions seem to appear and new opportunities find their way to us. We are able to make difficult decisions. We begin to see life very differently. Suddenly circumstances seem in our control, instead of controlling us.
Once we make the choice for happiness, everything changes. We can then take the steps that lead us forward on our journey. Ultimately, choosing happiness will catalyze a chain reaction of new and exciting experiences. Don’t you want the freedom to become unstuck, to take this exciting journey? Choose to be happy today.
Lisa Cypers Kamen is a filmmaker, positive psychology coach, author, host of Harvesting Happiness Talk Radio, professor and lecturer specializing in the field of sustainable happiness. She is widely recognized as an expert on the subject. Lisa’s acclaimed documentary film co-produced with her now fifteen year-old daughter, Kayla, “H-Factor…Where is your heart?” explores how people in varied circumstances find, generate and share happiness. In addition to her film on happiness, Lisa has also published a number of articles and books entitled, Got Happiness Now?, Are We Happy Yet?, Leadership: Helping Others to Succeed and Reintegration Strategies, about combat trauma and using positive psychology principles to create wellness in a post-war new normal. Lisa’s written work is featured on blogs for the Huffington Post, PositivelyPositive.com and InspireMeToday.com and she is a TEDx community event speaker. In addition, she is the Happiness Expert for the Florida Department of Citrus/ Florida Orange Juice in its Take on the Day campaign.
Harvesting Happiness for Heroes™ is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that delivers stigma-free integrated combat trauma recovery services to warriors and their loved ones. Modalities include scientifically proven strengths based Positive Psychology coaching and interdisciplinary tools such as film, yoga, meditation, art and creative writing designed to mindfully empower the client to achieve increased self-mastery, self-esteem and reclaim her/his life. HH4Heroes focuses on the balance of mind, body and emotion resulting in greater overall wellbeing and the transformation of Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) into Post-Traumatic Growth (PTG). HH4Heroes offers retreat workshops, one-on-one coaching, Battle Buddy programs, as well as our new R.E.B.O.O.T Online virtual community coaching classrooms designed to reach underserved areas. In addition, HH4Heroes deploys Return to Duty™ civilian and corporate training to help welcome a warrior home and into the community and workplace.
Lisa is committed to teaching Happiness is an inside job™ and helping others end their needless suffering through intentionally cultivating greater joy.
Thanks Lisa for your post! You make such a strong point that happiness is a choice. There is a quote by James Oppenheim that goes right along with this, he said,”The foolish person seeks happiness in the distance; the wise person grows it under his feet.” Since happiness is a choice, we are our own agents to make the decision to grow happiness in whatever circumstance we find ourselves.