Most people have a lot of baggage in their lives….unpleasantness that they carry with them and let cloud the here and now happiness that they could be experiencing. I know this because I have some baggage of my own that is clouding my happiness. As I told a friend recently I have always felt like I have the Midas touch…either that or I have always been super lucky. :) I always got everything I wanted and everything went my way. Until last year that is when I got some news that knocked me on my arse…literally…cancer. Honestly, I never would have thought something like that would happen to me and it had messed with my confidence big time. My body turned traitor on me and made me sick. Now we have some trust issues my body and I. ;)
For the past year I have had a feeling that the other shoe will drop and with an attitude like that it probably will.
But the other day I was talking to someone and they had a BIG situation in their lives and they were hashing out their options. As he went through all the potential ways he could handle it he was very calm and he said he already knew what he was going to do…he was going to “choose happiness.” Say what? It cannot be that simple right?
I think it just might be. Not only will choosing to worry about what “could be” mess up my happiness right now it could be a self fulfilling prophecy. I have to choose happiness.
So last week when Andreea Ayers sent me a t-shirt from her company Tees for Change it was soooo perfect that she sent one that said…you guessed it….choose happiness. These t-shirts are awesome!
Basically these shirts are a reminder to live think positively. As it says on the web site, “We only have this moment – why not make it the best it can be?” The t-shirts come with a variety of inspirational phrases such as be fearless, live fully, laugh often, live mindfully, and chase dreams. I love the chase dreams shirt too. Apparently Andreea came up with the idea for these shirts when she was pregnant and she was continuously bombarded with negative attitudes about her decision to have a home birth. Everyone around her kept reminding her of all the bad things that could happen and how things could go terribly wrong. She was getting this from friends, family, and strangers. And then during a prenatal yoga class the idea came to her that she should have a positive message on her shirt to look down at whenever she ran into one of these negative forces so she could remember to stay positive and Tees for Change was born.
All the shirts at Tees for Change are ethically crafted from 100% organic cotton or a 70% bamboo/30% organic cotton blend. They are dyed using low impact, eco friendly dyes and screen printed with non-toxic, water based inks. In addition to that they have partnered with American Forests Global Releaf to have a tree planted for every shirt bought at retail price. So they are tees for mental change and environmental change…a win, win.
And to leave this post I thought I would share a quote I read on the Tees for Change site: Always listen to experts. They’ll tell you what can’t be done, and why. Then do it. – Lazarus Long
It’s a conscious effort, day in and day out.
It’s a choice. I have my fair share of life cicumstances that could lead me down the unhappy path. And, I have been there a time or two…but I make a choice to be positive, be happy, live in my faith…etc.
Life is choices. Your choices make your life easier or harder as well as happier or not.
What a great idea! My husband has taught me that being happy is a choice, and it would be great to be able to share that message with others too.
I completely believe that it is a choice. You *choose* to be offended by something. You choose to greet a situation with optimism or negativity. You choose your happiness, totally! I would love to win!
Steph
I also believe that it is a choice. I certainly have had down days and when I force myself to just get out and smile, I immediately feel better.
life is ALL about choices
whether or not to be happy is just one of the kajillion choices we make daily.
choose wisely…..hmm, should get that tattooed on my wrist
It’s a choice. I can either decide to get into a fight with my husband because he didn’t take out the trash or I can choose to be happy that I married a man who vacuums and helps put away laundry without complaint.
It’s all about what I choose to focus on and having gratitude for my life, whatever the circumstances.
Happiness is my choice!!!!
What a great statement!!
Thats awesome!
I totally believe you can choose happiness. You will always find someone who has it better than you and someone whose worse off. Just be thankful for what you have and choose to have a good attitude.
Yes, happiness is a choice. Our circumstances do not shape our experience of life, but our attitude and reaction to those circumstances does. Look at Helen Keller — she chose to live a full life inspite of the cards she was dealt!
Of course you have say in your happiness, just focusing on the positive for one day will make a huge difference!
Let’s be happy all!!
I believe that you can choose happiness, but I don’t believe that choosing happiness means that everything in your life will be happy-go-lucky. I believe happiness = survivor = positive outlook even when circumstances in life are not so happy.
My mother-in-law is proof positive. During WWII, she was in a concentration camp that the Russians had for the Germans, escaped, and had to walk from East Prussia (now part of Russia) to western Germany, when she was 8 years old. She says that nothing but positive thinking got her and her mother through it, and that nothing that life could throw at her would ever be worse than what they went through. She is truly the happiest person I know, I think in part because she is the most thankful for what she has.
OMG I was just fighting with my hubby over this the other day. We have been having a terrible couple years & his attitude is just so poor. I told him he needs to act positive or things will never change. I totally believe it is a mindset & you can be happy with almost any situation. Now of course there are some terrible things out there that happy mindset probably wouldn’t make a difference, but I believe for the most part it is in your head! I hope I win, I’d love one of these shirts! Too cool, great contest!!
Wow, what a great question. Since my dad’s death I have struggled with sadness and to some extent, probably undiagnosed depression. I do believe that you can choose happiness and it takes a lot of work to believe that what you are doing is right, and that every day should be celebrated because there may not be a tomorrow for you or someone close to you. Choosing happiness is a great option and a wonderful mantra.
I completely agree that happiness is a choice. Sometimes the situation we are in makes that choice easy and sometimes it makes that choice hard. My husband and I were just talking about this same topic today because we are having some financial issues and we decided that being upset and worried about it will not make the situation go away. Instead of being upset, we chose to be happy and enjoy our infant son and live life to the fullest!
I believe happiness is a choice. I am only 18 but I have always been told you choose what mood you are in. No one can make you angry, no one can make you happy, no one can make you sad. Everyday I focus on the good things that have happened. Those shirts are very pretty and if I don’t win then I think I just might have to buy one.
I think circumstances certainly impact us, but we choose how we respond to things. I’ve come to a place where I’m almost grateful for the difficult times because they help me appreciate the ease. Like, how we feel so good when the seasons change, so we can stop complaining about the weather? LOL!
I think events make up about 10 percent of our lives and how we choose to see things and how we react, the other ninety percent.
And I want that T shirt BAD Tiffany!
I definitely believe it is a choice. Even in the worst situations, you can choose to pick yourself up, brush yourself off and keep going. And I have been through some doozies…bankruptcy, family incest, a family member who is homosexual, illness, death….if I hadn’t chosen to go forward, but had wallowed in my upset, I would be in a loony bin by now.
So right! The power of positive thinking is incredible. We all posses it, it’s just a matter of tapping into it and staying in the present. Thanks for sharing!!
I think you can choose happiness for most of your life but not always.
It’s definately a choice…your perspective in any good or bad situation determines your ability to be happy
Happiness is a daily choice!
i totally believe that happiness is a choice. after growing up with a lot of negativity in my life, my husband helped me learn that. i am working on getting my happy on today cuz it’s not going at all as planned. what a great shirt and a great reminder. i will add this contest to my blog’s contest page. when does it end? thanks!
amy
I definitely believe happiness is a choice… “Just like love and forgiveness!” (My mom’s words!!)
I think that happiness is a choice, however I do think also that happiness is fleeting – but JOY, now there is something that is lasting even through the hard times. And I believe that real joy can only be found through Jesus Christ. :)
Happiness is within yourself. The only person that can make you truly happy is… YOU. :)
I believe happiness is a choice but it is temporary. Joy is something that is within that can be found in Christ.
I think that happiness is a choice for the most part, but that there are certain situations when random chance plays a role.
I definitely believe that happiness is a choice. You wake each morning with the whole world in your hands…what you do with it is truly up to you.
I believe you can choose to be happy. I know I choose to be a grump some days. I think it is harder to choose to be happy sometimes. There are times that body chemicals and what not make you grumpy and it is harder to be happy.
all of life is a choice. but i do agree with the research that suggests that we all have a “set point” to which we will generally level off. that said, i think that we still can have impact on our own happiness by acknowledging the blessings in our lives. love the shirt!
A choice, definitely. But that’s not to discount life experiences that are bound to get you down for a temporary period– of course you can’t “choose happiness” on the day that someone you love dies, or you find out you have cancer, or whatever. But you do reach a point where you can continue to be in a rut about it or to choose to fight for your own happiness. Neat t-shirt. :)
Wow, Tiffany look at all these blog readers of yours coming out of the wood work! Bribe them with a shirt and see what happens? lol
I do think happiness is a choice but it definitely is affected by other things, obviously. But having an optimistic attitude definitely helps you to be a happier person! I am trying to be better at it all the time.
I love this post. I think if you think positively it will make a difference. I find that if I am in a bad mood already things just seem to get worse. That isn’t to say I don’t think we should be prepared, but stewing on something will only make it worse.
Jessica
I think that the game of chance can make it more difficult to remember that happiness is a choice that we need to constantly strive for and some days may be easier than others. Choose Happiness…What a great reminder and message to wear on a tee!
Great T-shirt! It’s a reminder to us all to be mindful of what we have and to enjoy it every day!
I think it can be really hard to choose happiness, because sometimes it just feels better to wallow. But I do believe that with a little effort and hard work, we can all choose happiness, at least some of the time.
I go by what Gandhi says, “Be the change you want to see in the world”! If you want to be happy, and woudl like to see the world become a better place, you need to effect change from yourself. Nobody can make you happy unless you want it!
Ive always noticed that the Mom in the house sets the mood for everyone, growing up my Moms emotional state could make our day or ruin it. I truly do believe you can choose to be happy! We all have some very sad times in our lives, but if we dwell on all the negatives and do not emphasize the positives we arent teaching our children to live happily are we? I recently had a miscarriage, and anyone who has had one knows you cant possibly be prepared to deal with all the emotions and hormonal changes suddenly going on. I had some really rough days, but I made myself play with my children and see their happiness and let it help heal my broken heart. They can teach us grown ups too!
Oh, I would LOVE this shirt! I totally believe you can change your mindset. I get in such a slump sometimes, but have found I can turn it around if I mindfully decide to just be happy instead! There are so many blessings around to help with that.
What a fantastic idea for those tshirts! Much better to see that on a shirt than some of the things that are on them these days!
I really do believe that you have to choose happiness. And it can be very easy to get discouraged. I am a young Mom, im 24 and I have a three year old and a six month old child. I was very discouraged when I got pregnant for both my children. People seen it in my town as something that was odd…and even more odd that a twenty some odd old mother would use cloth diapers and all natural products on her children. SO many times I have been put down or discouraged…and you just CANT let it get to you. I applaud these tshirts. Everyone should have like 100 of them! THey are a wonderful idea… cuz there are enough men and women who are feeling down who will walk by someone with one of these on…and it could change there life!
Hurray! The winner is Casual Friday Everyday with comment #7!
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. – Gandhi
This sums it all up. I spent most of my life taking cues from the outside world and knew that my heart wanted something more. The last two years I consciously chose happiness. Life I as know it has somersaulted into a spectacular journey. I choose to see love and joy! Lilli-Sarah
I have found that throughout life you have a choice whether you want to live in fear or just observe it while sending yourself love and light. Everything is OK always, depending on how you perceive it, no matter what life throws your way. Happiness is always available if we decide to embrace it.