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Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/11585
WELLNESS Come On, Get Happy! The Secret of Happy People Words by Vanessa Pascale recognize what facilitates feelings of joy such as being among those we care about, acquisition of possessions, vacationing abroad, a magnificent view… Yes, all these elicit bouts of happiness, but we eventually acclimate to these bliss-inducing situations or things, the feeling subsides and we resume our mission to find the next quick fix. The question of the hour is: How do we retain a steady feeling of happiness when there is much to worry about and become discouraged by? M Being happy is more than moments and experiences that enhance our lives—being happy on a continual basis is a chosen lifestyle. Happiness is something we decide that we want, seek out and continue to practice and adhere to day in and day out. It sounds simple enough, but like all good advice this may be easier said than done. Life does not always turn out the way we 74 MIAMI LIVING an is on a continuous journey to attain that euphoric state of being classified as happiness. We envision for ourselves, which makes it easy for us to lose hope for true happiness. By retraining our cognitive thinking and incorporating these encouraging credos into our way of living, happiness can become a part of our everyday life. HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE The 18th Century American poet, lecturer, and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing can bring you happiness but yourself.” While Emerson’s statement seems obvious—that we are certainly in control— at times the obvious isn’t always so apparent. By choosing happiness, we are making the conscious decision that we deserve to be happy. Once we realize that we deserve to be happy everyday, we can actively pursue it. How do we control the happiness we experience? Dale Carnegie said, “It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.” The inspirational public speaker and author makes a good point—if we consistently dwelled on the things that were wrong in our life or things we sought and failed to attain, it would be challenging to see our lives in an attractive light. When