Note: This is a guest post from Stuart Mills of Unlock the Door
“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.”
King Solomon
Have you ever woken up one morning and just felt like you hadn’t have bothered? Like you might as well crawl back into bed, because the day is only going to get worse from here, and the toaster still needs fixing, and by the time you get into the car the traffic is going to be awful, and you still need to change that tyre that feels funny, and, and, and….
Let’s face it, if your thought pattern every morning runs like this then you need to change it. Who wants to willingly live in misery and despair for the rest of their days? Yet that’s what some people do! They know, deep down, that they can change things, but they don’t want to put the effort in to make those changes. They’re not very cheerful about life.
If you can’t be cheerful about life itself, then you can’t be cheerful about anything else.
Be Cheerful!
I might sound like an idiot for the next few sentences, but why should you be cheerful? Why should you wake up with a smile on your face, getting out of bed almost immediately, and striding through your day tackling any problems and challenges that may arise? Well, think about it. If you want to be full of gloom then just keep at the negative thoughts, stay in bed wandering why the world doesn’t just stop spinning and get it over with. But if you want to be happy and cheerful, and let’s face it who doesn’t, then start being more cheerful by choice.
Happiness isn’t something that comes to you, you have to choose it.
Now, the best question you might have on your mind is, “If I have to choose to be happy and cheerful, then what can I find to be cheerful about? My life sucks!”. If so, then relax! There’s plenty to be cheerful about, if you know where to look.
Think about it, look around you, stop for a moment and take it all in. What do you see? What do you feel, hear, sense? What thoughts run through your mind when you take a moment to stop whatever you’re doing, and recognise the world for what it is? When I do this, I immediately become cheerful for a lot of things, some of which are these.
1. Health
One thing that all human beings can connect with each other is our health. If we’re alive, then we have health, no matter what shape or form it’s in. In that respect, we are all healthy, we are full of health. Even if we look at someone who is terminally ill, we can still see a glimmer of life and health within them, no matter how dull the flame.
The vast majority of us are reasonably healthy, and we don’t suffer from any major diseases or issues. So why is it that we complain about a minor niggle like an upset stomach? I’ve seen people who have suffered tremendously through life, and yet they keep smiling, they don’t complain about their poor lot. They’re being cheerful because they still have health.
Some of us take our health for granted, and we only realise how important it is when we fall ill. This is not the way to move through life. Be aware that you have good health, and embrace it as a reason to be cheerful.
2. Family
Most of us have family members still alive. If there is one group of people who will love you more than others, it’s your family. Family is very important in this world, despite what you may read or hear about broken families. Families possess unconditional love, families always look out for you when others are against you.
And the best part? Whatever happens in life, your family remains your family.
From your parents and grandparents, to your brothers and sisters, to your children and grandchildren, your family is your cornerstone in life. If you have them around then be thankful, for we have all lost family members before, and we all recognise the pain and grief that it burdens on us. Be thankful, and be cheerful, for your family are the one group of people who will love you no matter what.
3. Security
Most people worry about security issues the most, such as the bill they have to pay, the roof that might be leaking, the insurance that’s due up. If you’re one of these people, then ask yourself this, “Are you financially secure? Are you living within your means?” If the answer is “no”, then move to do something about it, but if the answer is “yes”, then realise this fact:
You are much better placed than people who are burdened with excessive debts and who struggle to make ends meet.
Look it up, and your financial security is better off than you think. You aren’t as broke as you thought. So be happy and cheerful about it! You have a roof over your head, you’re in good condition. Things aren’t so bad as they appear.
4. Dreams
Do you have something good to look forward to? Of course you do, even your wildest, most outrageous dreams give you hope. Are you looking forward to that holiday by the beach, or perhaps a night out with your loved one? Maybe even a promotion or raise? Then this is something to be cheerful about! Focus on the good times that lie ahead, and start working towards making them a reality.
Whatever you wish for, plan it out, and have fun doing so. This is your future, what can make you more cheerful than that? People with plans do better than those with no plans.
5. Life
Do you want to know the ultimate reason for being cheerful? If nothing else, the one reason that can get you out of bed in the morning and put a smile on your face? The ultimate reason is this: being alive.
This may come as a shock to you, but your life could end the next day. There’s a 99.9% chance that it won’t, but it could, because we don’t have any control over it. We can’t choose when we die. With that in mind, can you see how precious life really is? How blessed we are to be able to do all that we can do? This is life, the ultimate gift of the universe. Why not be happy about that?
Stuart Mills is an experienced writer who wants to help you improve at life. He thinks you’re awesome. You can often find him at Unlock The Door, where he writes constantly to make it a better day for everyone, and you can subscribe to his content here.
Photo by suchitra prints
Hey Donald, thanks for publishing my guest post, I’m very humbled!
Take care amigo 🙂
My pleasure, Stuart 🙂 Keep up the good work on your blog!
Stuart,
Whenever I am not feeling well the first place that I take care of is my physical health. Usually lack of sleep and rest and poor diet attributes to this.
Hey Justin, I agree with your outlook, always treat your health first and foremost!
Do you regularly take care of your physical health Justin, or do you do it as you need to? 🙂
Here in Mexico…its really really hard to feel happy, to actually be happy. Its hard…We have to worry about our families, our security, our mental health it is not at our best. Its really tough, lets hope this ends soon.
God damn politics/money.
Im happy right now, so thats ok 😀
Hey Edgar, as long as you’re happy yourself, within yourself. The more you survive and thrive, the more you can influence others to be happy themselves.
Take care man 🙂
Enjoy your blog! I agree with your 5 reasons for waking every morning with cheer and happiness. Here’s a couple more:
6. Technology. Think about the time saved by modern appliances like dishwashers and cars. Think of the conveniences of cell phones and on-line shopping. Think about the life-saving devices like cat scanners and mechanical heart valves. It’s all pretty amazing. Definitely cheer-inducing stuff!
7. Freedom. A significant percent of humanity live without basic rights. Others have some freedoms, but far less than the Western world enjoys.
Imagine living in a dictatorial regime! Freedom is the essential context for pursuing dreams and creating security.
Hey Ken, thanks for adding the extra points, I especially like “Freedom”. It’s important to remember that no matter where we are, no matter what our conditions, we always have freedom of thought.
Take care 🙂
hi!stuart,wonderful article,i like to share it with my readers,can i?
one more thing i want to add is ACCEPTANCE-accept yourself the way you are,you r unique and different,why it’s necessary to be like by others.u know yr potentialities work according to that,u’ll feel satisfy and happy.
That’s a great one to add! Thanks for sharing it.
And of course you can share this with your readers 🙂
the most one is ………family
Some people could argue that sometimes your health is bad, you don’t have any family left and you are burdened with excessive debt. You also lost hope and have no dreams… but you are ALIVE and this, no one can deny it.
Awesome article, thanks for sharing!
Yes, I completely agree Courtney-Joe! We are alive, we are breathing, we can experience emotions and life itself. Best of all, we have freedom of thought, no matter what.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
My reason to be happy is family. The weekend sure helped me realize how much I love them.
I’m glad it did Bryce, reminders like that are timely and priceless 🙂
Happiness is a choice. We don’t have to our happiness to other people, it’s like insecurity or something. We can be happy if we want.
Hey Doug, thanks for the comment!
Happiness is indeed something that we choose. I, for one, will choose it every time 🙂
It’s the simple things that can make us the happiest. Instead of looking for something to “make” you happy, just “be” happy. Gratitude is my favorite way to feel the happiness. Good blog post, Stuart.
Hi Peg, thanks for taking the time to comment!
You’re right, if we focus on ‘being’ happy, then sooner or later, we’ll realise that happiness can be ours after all!
Take care 🙂
[…] Acudo a un artÃculo de Stuart Mills publicado en Life Optimizer (uno de mis blogs favoritos). En él nos invitan a mirar 5 lugares donde encontrar la felicidad en este momento: […]
my dream keeps me happy likewise my love ones,family,good friends and suchlikes.no matter what i go through i feel happy for i am filled with life and optimistic for a betterday to come.we have every reason to be happy for it comes from us,we do not get it from whatever.
Agreed Chibuike, we gain our happiness from ourselves, and this can be our dreams or our love for others.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
Good post! Being happy is a choice. You can choose to have a happy or crappy day. I also believe in appreciation. Appreciate your good health and family. Appreciate the roof over your head. Appreciate the sun shining upon you. Appreciation goes a long way.
It sure does Rebecca, a little appreciation of the finer things in life works wonders, no matter how big or small they are 🙂