HAPPY NEW YEAR!

By Lionel Ketchian

I'd like to ask you a question. Are you happy? Right now is always a great time to begin Being Happy! What are you waiting for? Maybe it is more money, or a house. Maybe it's a bigger house or a better house? You may be waiting to have kids or you are waiting for the kids to leave. How about a better girlfriend, or boyfriend or a new improved husband or wife? Are you waiting for things like this to make you happy?

If you were waiting for reasons to make you happy, a hundred years more would not be enough. Choose happiness first and the reasons will flow into your life. In fact, why not choose unconditional happiness? If you place conditions on your happiness, you will be conditioned by events and people you have no control over. You will allow the outside world to have control over you. By not choosing happiness, you are allowing situations and people to control your life.

You're unhappy because you are not in control of your happiness. Why give control of something as important as your happiness to other people? That job is best left up to you. Make the Happiness Decision. Make being happy your New Year's Resolution. In fact, learn that you can be happy no matter what.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned was from a wonderful man by the name of Epictetus; he was born 2,009 years ago as a slave in the Roman Empire. He was granted freedom at age 30, so he lived half his life as a slave and the rest of his life till he was 60 years old as a free man. The lesson he taught me was the following: "It is our opinions of things and not the things themselves that cause the disturbances of our lives."

Life may not be fair, but if we allow the things we cannot control, to control us, than we are the ones who are not being fair. The part that we need to learn is that we must be fair to ourselves. Instead of letting events tell us what to do and how to feel, we must look for new ways to deal with the upsets of life. We need to be there for ourselves. No matter how bad things may get, being unhappy does not do us any good. Being unhappy actually makes things much worse then they already are.

We must be fair to ourselves. A good way to do this is to make the Happiness Decision and choose happiness, no matter what. In this way, we can deal with what is happening and make the very best of it. No one is smart enough to be negative, because no one knows what will happen next. It doesn't make sense to be a negative person. Life can be unfair, knowing that, whose side are you on? Do you expect to have anyone else on your side if you're not! Choose happiness and you will be supporting your best side, as well as doing your best for other people. Being happy attracts people to you like a magnet. That's why positive people attract more people to themselves.

It has been said that circumstances do not make a man, they reveal him. Life may be unfair, but the only choice we have in the final examination, is what will we do next. Emotions can become our worst enemy when we lose control of ourselves. Happiness is one thing that does make sense. It is the way of wisdom, when we need to know which way to go from here. The Happiness Decision allows us to deal with the situations and the circumstances we face in life, in more intelligent ways.

True happiness gives birth to love. Love comes from happiness. People stop loving each other because they allow themselves to become unhappy, and negative. True happiness is peace. You cannot be peaceful and unhappy. The two states cannot exist in the same dwelling. True happiness is the way of peace. This time of the year we wish each other peace, and also wish each other Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Only when each of us becomes happy; can true peace emerge.

The Happiness Decision and being happy gives us the best strategy for dealing with life. Being Happy allows peace to be encountered by other people. Peace is not something to acquire like a material possession. Peace is not something to get. You cannot have peace, you can't own it, you can only use it. Peace is here for you now, don't let it go, be smart and make good use of it by being happy.

If you really want peace, Being Happy is your best choice. Happiness begins within you. To give it to others, you must have it, and to have it and you must be it. You cannot give away what you have not got. You need to be happy in order to give happiness to others. Showing people you are happy is the best gift you can give them. It is one of the most effective ways to make a positive difference in this world for yourself and others.

Happiness is truly the gift that keeps on giving. A smile passed along from you to someone else can keep being passed along. A smile is infectious, so you can create a happiness epidemic. People know when you are happy and they connect with it. It is the happiness within you that is most important.

Instead of wishing people happiness, show them happiness by Being Happy. Your Happiness Decision and the happiness you experience brightens the world! Many people tell me they would like their life to make a difference. Being happy does more to change the world, then many other things you can do. Even people who are dedicated to helping others can do so much more to help, when they are being happy. Anything you do with happiness is the greatest way to serve people.

Happiness will also make you healthier, so share the joy with everyone! Be fair to yourself and to everyone around you; make the Happiness Decision and choose a Happy New Year!