Happiness is a habit.

When life begins to feel a bit overwhelming, I take some quiet time to think about the things that bring me happiness. If you haven’t seen the movie Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith, please make the time. It has a wonderful message about taking personal responsibility for happiness that will resonate deeply.

Happiness is about maintaining a mindset that never allows your life to run you over. Happiness is an attitude. Happiness is a way of life. Happiness is a choice. Happiness is a habit everyone needs to create on a daily basis to live with riches.

Happiness is not an elusive vapor that is hard to catch. There are so many little things in a day that bring a smile to your face, elicit a chuckle or release the stress in a moment like letting air out of a balloon. If you attempt to disagree with my assertion, I challenge you to spend a day documenting the moments that caused even the smallest positive emotional response. I think you might be surprised at how long your list is. To get you thinking in the right direction, I have included ten things that have made me happy today - keep in mind that my day is still young.

1. The sound of the rain outside gently waking me this morning.
2. My dog’s kisses during our morning snuggle.
3. A witty email from a friend.
4. The nice man sharing the elevator who said “Hello” with a smile.
5. A warm pumpkin muffin from the Corner Bakery.
6. The punctual Metra train system getting me where I needed to go.
7. Being under the care of a skilled physician.
8. The fresh smell in the air after the rain today.
9. Peace and quiet to write.
10. The comfort in knowing that my God is with me every moment of every day.

I hope this has inspired you to cherish the unexpected sprinkling of precious moments that occur serendipitously throughout each day. You may find out that your life is so much better than you thought it was simply by taking notice. Always remember that “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

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Thank you for reading and be well.