While off celebrating my 20th anniversary, I’m sharing a few of my favorite blogs that you might have missed.

Do you ever say, “I’ll be happy when I achieve X”? Maybe your X is losing weight, getting a new car or job, meeting a deadline, finding a new partner, getting a clean bill of health, etc.

If you wait for all the stars to align and conditions to be perfect before you allow yourself to be happy, how much of your life will you actually be happy?

What if, regardless of what may be happening in your life, the only thing standing in the way of you being happy—however that looks and feels to you—is you?

It can often feel like we are in a tiny row-boat on the raging sea of life being tossed around from one experience to the next. When we allow these experiences to dictate how we feel, we give up all control of our life.

How do you get control back? You begin by choosing what you are going to focus on and how you are going to feel—regardless of the circumstances.

Yes, your life is imperfect in whatever way, but the sun came up this morning, and no matter what the weather, there is beauty in this day. You have an abundance of food to choose from, clean water available with the turn of a faucet, and plenty of air to breathe. There are clothes for your body. You have a computer or smartphone on which to be able to read this—and reach out to the world. You have the ability to understand these words. There are activities that you love to do, and movies and books that make you laugh out loud. There are people in this world who love you—and who you love.

Consciously shifting your thoughts to what is working in your life—or clearing your mind of thoughts all together—for as little as 15 minutes a day can profoundly shift how happy you are day in and day out.

Try it for a couple of weeks and see if you can feel the difference. Why put off being happy when you could be happy as soon as right now? What are you waiting for?

Together we can do it!

Photo by nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net