The key to happiness is the decision to be happy.

It’s that simple, it is.

I searched for so many years and in so many different places outside of myself for my happiness that part of me didn’t want to believe that all along it had been right there within myself.

I spent years happiness-hunting through serious relationships, trying to find it through packing my calendar, through making more money, through travelling, through partying and dancing and blurring my worries away, but none of that lead me any closer to joy.

Although I had moments where gratitude rained down, for the greater part of time, I was waiting for something more—to be thinner, richer, fitter, better—to finally be happy.

I was waiting for it to hit me, waiting for happiness to happen, waiting for it to sink through from the outside in. When moving to Whistler didn’t make me happy I moved to Mexico, and then when I found myself instead of high-speed-happiness I was searching for, I moved back to Australia, only to find that there I was again, stuck with the same ol’ unfulfilled me.

Everything outside myself was changing, but nothing was shifting on the inside.

I was insatiable, goal-driven, constantly looking for more—all helpful qualities in getting me heading in the right direction, but they weren’t contributing much in helping me enjoy the ride.

Bit of a problem, since this whole journey we’re on is “the ride.” There is no end point where you arrive at maximum capacity for whatever it is you’re waiting to be to be happy—there ultimately is no destination point.

There is no cap or limit on how kind, or compassionate; how flexible, strong, fast, successful, or rich you can be—so if you’re waiting to “get there” to be happy, you’re going to be waiting an awfully long time.

Happiness is a choice you can make right now.

Contrary to popular belief, happiness isn’t something that floods from outside of ourselves inwards—it’s a quality that radiates from the inside out.

It’s not something that happens to you, or something you luck out on, it’s something that you choose to align with and create in your life.

Moment-by-moment, breath-by-breath, you have an opportunity to align with happiness, to be grateful for what you have, or to align with not good enough’s, your “I want more’s”, or your “I’ll be happy when’s”.

Happiness is your choice—a choice you can make right now.

You don’t have to wait for something monumental to happen to find gratitude. There is so much magic in the regular, in the little things, in the tiny touches of life, but we miss them while we search the horizon for bigger and better.

You get to choose when to align with happiness; you get to choose whether to see your life moments as magical or mundane; you get to choose whether your life is experienced as ordinary or extraordinary!

So, what is it you’re waiting for again?

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Ed: Bryonie Wise