Happiness is a Choice.

ATTENTION: Sappy - ish post coming your way today.  It’s about being happy, which I know you didn’t know because my title was so mysterious *eyeroll*.  I’ve been faced with a lot of additional stress between work, physical limitations, and personal relationships recently.  Keep in mind, I still remain the overly energetic teeny bopper that listens to Justin Bieber to get pumped up at the gym, regardless of what’s going on in this crazy brain of mine.  

Let me also say, none of my issues (that song is literally on repeat right now) are more earth shattering than the average person’s struggles.  But I think all of us are allowed to get overwhelmed from time to time because that’s life.  Most of my “issues” are sourced from some major life changes.  Change is becoming a reoccurring theme in my life as of the last few years, and I still haven’t mastered how to not have a low key panic attack when first presented with it. Side note, like very low key, you can’t let people know change scares you, ruins your street cred.  

I know that as progressive human beings, especially being a millennial, change is supposed to be exhilarating.  But the truth is, it’s scary.  In both work and my personal life, when I know/or don’t know (SURPRISE) what’s about to happen, I’m faced with the nightmare that I may not be able to handle what’s about to be put on my plate.  How do we move past this?  Well, everyone is different.  I’m constantly reminded of that when I have the pleasure of listening to my friends and the things they graciously tackle in life.   

So, with all of this change in the air everyday we have the choice to let stress and frustrations affect us.  It’s hard work choosing to be happy, but let me tell you, it’s worth it.  It’s like choosing a salad over a pizza, sometimes really freaking hard, but you feel a lot better in the end.  Short and sweet version?  I refuse to change myself for what life gives me.  So that means I’ll keep listening to broadway musicals in the shower pretending the curtain is my audience.  I’ll continue to take videos of myself poorly singing spanish lyrics that I know not of and post them all over my instagram story.  I’ll order the extra guacamole because it’s healthy and I love my body, but also treat yoself.  

I realize this might all sound incredibly cheesy, and you’d be right to think that.  But I don’t care.  Choosing happiness is an everyday, sometimes every hour act.  We all can stand to have a reminder from time to time to keep putting in the effort to make our lives what we so desire.  Do it.  Choose happiness.