Be Happy

I'm no expert on happiness.  If you've read this blog enough, you know that being content is something that I struggle with.  However, I've been thinking about being happy in life today... because of a friend's facebook status, and something that happened today, and also because I read something Caleb posted on Facebook (on his advice page no less... and he has wonderful advice.) Here's what he wrote:
So had a bad day?Read this on "How To Have A Good Day" 
1.Wake up happy!Don't be sad because it's not the weekend...I'm ten and I go to school in a good mood!you should,too!
2.Eat a good breakfast!Breakfast truly is the best meal of the day!
3.Don't be nasty,brush your teeth and comb your hair (possibly take a shower before school.In the afternoon or mornings are the *Best times!)
  4.Pack a piece of gum in your lunch,that way when your done eatng your breath will still smell good!

That's the 4 easy steps to having a good day! ;)

How nice it would be if that was all it took to be happy.  I think I could handle eating breakfast, brushing my teeth and combing my hair, and chewing gum.  It's a little bit more difficult than that, but I think Caleb is getting the point. 

Happiness is a choice.  I read this on a friend's Facebook status, and it is so true.  Life isn't fair, we get hit with things we don't like... but that's life. 
If I was following Caleb, my steps to being happy would be:
1. Choose it.  Embrace it.  Look for reasons to smile.  Every day...  no matter how bad it is, there has to be something good in your life. You're breathing.  That's better than some people...
2. Make other people happy.  We don't do this enough.  In this world, we tend to focus on me, me, me, and forget about other people.  Oh, we're full of lip service, but when the rubber hits the road and it comes to sacrificing for others, we aren't so sure. 
3. Be flexible.  I dislike change as much as the next person, but one thing that I have learned as a nurse is that things are never going to go as you plan.  Seemed like most people code during shift change.  Got something planned after work?  You can bet something bad will happen.  You  have to adjust and make changes, and go with the flow.  I'm getting better.
4. Make yourself laugh and smile. Noone likes a gloom and doom person.  If you make yourself laugh, sooner or later it will be real. Fake it... at least then you aren't making other people miserable.

My realization in life about being happy really didn't come until I started seeking God's face.  I'm not going to go all religious on you here, but if you are truly miserable, He's the one who can give you joy.  He smiles at me everyday, and most days I smile back.  And on those days that I just can't, when I'm worn to the bone and just don't have anything else left, I know that there is a hope... this ain't all there is.