I had read every personal development book and dabbled with every metaphysical technique to try and get happy, but everything fell short.  Not long after, I saw an ad in the paper saying “All of life comes to me with Ease, Joy and Glory – Get your bars run. Call Shannon.”

For me, that one call changed everything! I tried the Access Consciousness Bars and it was the first time in years – or maybe ever – that I had a sense of peace and space. I laid there on the table, received the light touch to my head, and knew everything was going to be okay. At one point, I started giggling like a little kid (something I had not done for a very, very long time).

When I was a young child my parents would say, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And I would reply, “Happy!”

Somewhere I have always known that if I was happy, everything else in my life would work. However, for many of us, happiness seems just out of reach – like a place we will all “get to” one day – that is, when certain conditions are met (e.g. when I find the perfect relationship, or when we’re earning a certain amount of money, or when we’ve reached our ideal body shape). Ironically, seeing happiness as a destination is the very thing that keeps it so elusive.

Your point of view creates your reality, reality doesn’t create your point of view! This is vital in finding your happiness. What if all it takes to be happy, is to alter your perspective?

Here are 5 ways to choose happiness today.

1) What lights you up? Nature? A friend with no judgment? A favorite happy movie. A lot of us lose touch with what makes us happy. If that is you, try asking, “What is it that makes me happy, that I’ve never acknowledged?”

2) Realize being happy is not selfish. You are allowed to be happy! And you are going to have to be able to receive judgment. We have so many connection points with others about how hard life is and tend to “connect” with others over unhappiness and struggles. Are you willing to be the odd one out? The happy one?

3) Is the unhappiness really yours? The moment you become aware that you’re not happy, ask yourself, “Who does this belong to?” When this question lightens or alleviates you—even just a little—that dissatisfaction is not yours. We are like big receivers picking up the thoughts, feelings and emotions of everyone around us. Be aware of it, and then just say “return it to sender!”

4) Get your body moving and endorphins flowing! This is crucial! There’s a reason this is recommended by doctors all over the world. There is a natural sense of happiness that comes from moving. And most importantly, if you’re happy, could you let your face know it? If you don’t, your body never knows it’s actually happy! Just saying!

5) Practice gratitude. I know it is probably the last thing you feel like doing; but when you start having gratitude things grow. “Where gratitude blooms, happiness ensues.” Take time to look at what you are grateful for in your life, and about you. Also, judgment and gratitude cannot co-exist.

Happiness is our natural state when we are not fighting against us. Once you start accessing more of it, a momentum is set in motion, and more will show up! What if you make the choice to be happy today? What could your life be like this time next year? And what about five years from now?

Dain

P.S. To watch my interview on Fox Houston about happiness, check it out here.

P.S.S. And to read the full article in Thrive Global, please visit this page here.

P.S.S.S. I’m also super happy to announce, I just launched a new audio series (available via app) that’s filled with mini classes/tools that you can take anywhere called “You Got This!” For more information, I’d love to invite you to this page. What else is possible now and next?!