“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ― Abraham Lincoln

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I've been doing a lot of research and thinking about exactly what it is that makes some people travel through life with a positive attitude enjoying happiness and peace of mind, while others stumble through life dragging all their negative baggage with them. It's tempting to attribute a person's happiness to the circumstances of their lives, but that doesn't really hold water. Some are happy under dire circumstances, while others cannot find happiness even in the best of circumstances.

Something else, then, must determine a person's degree of happiness in life - but what is it?

After reading volumes of self-help and self improvement books by authors like Norman Vincent Peale, Richard Bach, Marci Shimoff, Dale Carnegie and a host of authors that span generations, I have come to the conclusion that the cause of your happiness - or lack thereof - is you. More specifically, the thoughts you allow into your mind, the thoughts you chose to entertain, and your willingness to control those thoughts determines your happiness.

As many of you may know, I am a freelance writer and publish my work on a variety of sites across the Internet. One of those places is Examiner.com where I write under the topic of New Age, which of course, includes the Law of Attraction and other programs that empower people to take control of their lives - and minds - to reach their potential and find joy and happiness in their lives.

I have started a series of articles on Finding Happiness that I hope you will find helpful in attaining happiness as your work to achieve your goals and dreams. I won't duplicate them here, but please feel free to visit my work on Examiner.

Today, I am grateful for my beautiful morning glories in full bloom, for vine-ripe tomatoes and for fresh vegetables to grace the table. I am grateful for summer rains that refresh the earth, for cloudless skies in soft blue, and for trees with leaves that dance to the slightest breeze.

I am grateful for the sound of the distance jay as he calls out for rain, for the hummingbird that gathers energy for his long flight south, and for butterflies that flutter lazily in the herb garden. I am grateful for the scent of lavender, for ever-blooming petunias, and chipmunks that fill their tiny cheeks with food.

I am grateful for family and friends who always make me laugh and for the comfort of a meager home that offers safety from the storm. I am grateful for lazy Saturdays to write as I will without regard to deadlines and editorial rules.

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop to share my day. May  you make up your mind to be happy as you go forward in the direction of your dreams. 

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children ...

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“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world  a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

How easy it is to become so self absorbed that we forget there is more to life that achieving material things, and spend our time in pursuit of that which fuels our dreams without regard for the lives of those around us. Take a moment today to consider the words of Emerson, and consider how you might touch the lives of others. 

Consider your actions and words today and how they impact the lives around you. Do they move you and others to better themselves? Do they lift the spirit or echo with laughter and good will? 

Achieving your goals at the cost of others will not bring the satisfaction and fulfillment you desire. Strike a healthy balance between working toward your goals and enriching the lives of others today, as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.

Today, I am grateful for a cool morning breeze, leaves dancing freely, and hummingbirds that hoover over my petunias. I am grateful for the caw of the crow, the aroma of moist earth and fireflies that adorn the night. I am grateful for the far-a-way bark of a lonely dog, for the hoot of the owl that echoes in the night, and for oceans teeming with life.

I am grateful for another day filled with laughter and light, for the promise of many tomorrows to complete my work, and for green grass beneath my feet. I am grateful for soft damp air, for pine trees that brave the storm, and lightening that invigorates the earth.

I am grateful for my children who always amaze me, for a spouse to share my life, and for family to hold me close. I am grateful for parents who taught me to find my way, for brothers and sisters who have brought me great joy, and for friends who have brightened the way.

And, I am grateful for you, dear reader, as you stop and share my day. May you laugh often and much as you go forward in the direction of your dreams.