Happiness is purely a choice. Only you can decide to be happy or not. If your goals are materialistic, in all likelihood you will be striving for goals that will never be achieved, as the latest and greatest and must have items change at such a fast rate. And the more you make, the more you want.

The Wrong Checklist:

Big House
Best Car
Cartier watch
Gucci handbag
All the latest gadgets

NO NO NO!!!

Nothing on that checklist will make you happy, not in the true meaning of happiness that is or for very long.

The moments of happiness felt would be fleeting and well they are dependant on other people and things.

True happiness comes from within you. Sure external stimuli and events have an impact, but at the end of the day, happiness is a simple choice.

The Right Checklist

Often it is the really simple things that create happy moments -

• the feel of clean teeth
• The bird chirping outside of your window
• That first sip of tea in the morning
• The butterfly fluttering around the flowers
• The smell of freshly cooked bread
• Hearing a child laugh
• Stroking a cat

Our days are full of moments like this if we stop, slow down and savor the moment.

Happiness is moments like these and the more we have, we more we appreciate these little moments the happier we are.

Secondly, we need to try on dwell on the good things.

It seems with human nature we dwell on the negatives, so we need to fight that!

That person who cut you off on the roundabout? Or didn’t smile back, even though you flashed them your loveliest smile?

Either forget about it, or mentally send them blessings.

Put yourself in their shoes, they are probably lost in the world of life, worrying about something the other half said, or how they will pay the next bill, or they may be experiencing sadness.

I expect that you have had moments like those.

I know, for example, that I end up ignoring people on the street who say hello, unless they tap me on the shoulder or something. I’m probably trying to mentally remember my shopping list, or day dreaming (visualizing, of course lol) about what the future holds.

Yes, I’m not a pro at living in the moment yet, but I have my moments!

But I do understand it is all about perspective and that you choose that makes you happy.

It could be materialistic things makes you happy, but personally, I think true happiness is gained from life experiences, memories and choosing actions that make yourself feel good, not things.

Walking on grass with bare feet, without a care in the world, but keeping half an eye out for dog poop!

Oops the realist in me strikes again!

But seriously happiness is a choice.

Your choice.

Find Your Happiness Treats

What I like to recommend people to do is to write down 30 things that they like to do, or things that make them happy. Just little things - happiness treats.

Just the act of this part is really beneficial.

Mine would look like this

1. Write a poem that is positive
2. Help a friend
3. Leave a favourite book in the park, with a note “I hope you enjoy this as much as I did)
4. Feed the ducks and let them take the seed out of my hand
5. Tell someone who much they mean to me and that I appreciate them.
6. A long luxurious soak in the bath
7. Burn my favourite scented candle and just breathe in the aroma
8. Bake a cake with the kids
9. Help a stranger
10. Get crafting and make a gift for someone
11. Listen to a guided meditation
12. Hug a tree
13. Walk barefooted in the grass
14. Remember to wear my favourite perfume (pistachio ice-cream)
15. Finish everything on my To do list (max 3 tasks)
16. Shut all the windows and sing loudly and badly to Robbie Williams songs (or other favourite songs)
17. Do stream of conscious writing for a minimum of minutes and create something from anything written of value in it.
18. Walk barefoot on the grass
19. stroke a cat or dog (I will roam the neighbourhood until someone lets me pet their pet!)
20. go for a nature walk and try to see nature in action everywhere
21. Go for a paddle in the sea
22. Do something childish and fun, like have a go on the zip wire
23. Watch vines on YouTube until I find one that tickles my humour buds so much, I am in hysterics
24. Get the pastels or oils out and see what ends up on the paper
25. Read for an hour - a real book, not electronic.
26. Go to the beach and hunt for small stones that have holes all the way through.
27. Go geocaching
28. Watch a film I have never got around to seeing.
29. Enter a contest on Steemit: meme, poetry or writing
30. Write a physical letter to someone in the community to say thank you, even if its anonymous
31. Make a gift basket for someone I know who is having a bad time and leave it somewhere they will find it.

Then write them all down on separate pieces of paper and put them in a jar (if you find that many happiness treats are weather dependent, it is a good idea to write outdoor ones on a different colour of paper).

Then each day, pick one out, like a happiness cookie, do it and savour the moment like the priceless piece of happiness it is.

All you need for happiness is to make the choice to be happy.

It is not easy, but it is doable.

It probably won’t be perfect, or ever will be, but savouring the moments will make the world of difference.

Written with <3 @hopehuggs