Why is it that some people are happy and others aren't? No, it isn't controlled by the circumstances that they are in. It is controlled by the way they react to those circumstances.

Happiness doesn't just happen. It is chosen. No matter how bad the circumstances, you can choose to be miserable or you can choose to be happy. Many people confuse someone's happiness with whether or not they are always smiling. I have seen many people who always seem to smile in public but yet they are miserable on the inside.

Happiness is a state of contentment, regardless of the circumstances. You can be unhappy about the circumstances going on in your life and still be a happy person. For example, I may not be happy with an illness in my family but yet still be happy and content with my life in general. Happiness is more than just a temporary emotion. Otherwise, everyone would be unhappy in their life because bad things happen to people all the time.

Each day when we awake, we make a choice. We either choose to be happy or we choose to be miserable. Whichever you choose, you will be, if you are in that mindset. Your happiness is controlled by you, not by your circumstances.

For example, let's say that you have 2 people with the exact same situation stuck in traffic on a freeway. They will be there for at least an hour. One is screaming and yelling, blowing the horn like crazy, trying to dodge around on the side with no luck. Now they are even angrier than ever.

The other person, same situation, picks up the phone, calls the boss to let them know they will be late, takes the lid from their coffee and picks up a newspaper and settles in for a good read.

Now, if the circumstances controlled happiness, both people would be angry and miserable, right? So it is obvious that the control lies with the individual. Rather than letting the circumstances control you, you can decide to react differently and keep control of your happiness.

Some of the main health problems we have today is stress related illnesses. This isn't a circumstance problem. It is a people problem. When we learn to react differently to stressful situations, we can greatly reduce our stress levels. This doesn't mean that we have to like what is happening in our lives in order to be happy. We simply have to learn how to react differently so that we are content and happy with our lives in spite of them.

© 2008 Bonnie N. Ramsey