Conscious Choice

"Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response." - Mildred Barthel, poet

One of my favorite questions is "Would you rather be happy or would you rather be right?". It's my favorite question now. In years past, I would struggle with the answer. Honestly, I wanted to be both happy and right at the same time and I couldn't figure out how to accomplish this. I was in a significant amount of paid because of this inner battle I was having within me. I constantly fought with those close to me, trying with all of my might to prove my point, but all this really did was turn people off. I was a lonely individual for a long time.

When I was younger, I felt as if I was invisible. In my opinion, I believed that no one ever listened or paid close enough attention to me. This wasn't reality but it was my perception and this perception caused me angst and heartache. The truth is that being right isn't as important as I had made it out to be. I don't need to be superior to others and prove that I'm smarter than anyone else.  That's not my purpose.

My purpose in this life is to show love and kindness to everyone and help whenever possible. Being right just lost its appeal and happiness has drawn me to a new way of life. Today I choose happiness and I am truly grateful for this change of attitude. It has served me well. May we all choose to be happy today and every day. Namaste.