Get Happy or Die Trying

Recently, my Muse has been on a black-out moonshine drunk, but none the less, I was determined to write a blog today. So, I turned to Holiday Insights, which lists all the bizarre holidays on the calendar, in hopes of finding inspiration. Come to find out, August is “Admit Your Happy” Month. I can’t. For most of this summer, I have struggled with a case of the blues. Not the deep clinical depression that requires immediate medical attention and plagued me throughout my twenties and early thirties, but a low-grade gloom that I just can’t kick. The kind that doesn’t completely paralyze you, but slows you down so much that you can’t get anything worthwhile accomplished. It zaps your creativity and energy, lowers your willpower, steals your inspiration, and makes you vulnerable to that voice that declares, “You’re not good enough. You’re not talented enough. You’re not smart enough. You’re not pretty enough. You’re just not enough to deserve happiness.”

Of course, I’m pretty damn good at fleeting pleasure. But usually it’s the kind of pleasure that is followed by overindulgence, guilt, and often a hangover. However, I’ve never come close to mastering the art of being consistently happy...and it's about damn time I did. I want talking the kind of self-sustaining happiness that comes from an internal sense of peace, well-being, and belonging. The kind of happiness that allows you to navigate through the world with confidence and joy and trust. The kind of happiness that breeds spontaneity and success and smiling at strangers. Experts say it’s a choice, a commitment, a habit. So I’ve decided that, at forty-six, it’s time to take this happiness horse by the reins and commit to learning how to be happy on a daily basis. But, where to start? The Huffington Post, of course. I found an article, The Habits of Supremely Happy People, on the topic and I’m going to make it my mission to try and adopt each of these habits over the next few weeks and share the results with you.  What’s the worst that could happen?