I DARE YOU TO BE HAPPY

That's right, I dare ya!

Have you sat (or stood) at work and thought about how much it sucks? Do you feel drained of all energy and creativity when you get home? Can you barely be bothered looking after your health or being affectionate to the people you love and care about?
yes? Well me too. you've been reading my posts, you know how much my job has been getting to me. The people, the pay, the expectations, the conditions, the complete lack of satisfaction or even hope for satisfaction. It's pretty bleak.

Well lets look at it this way. I have a stable full-time job, it pays for the rent on a great apartment i can come home to every day with a wonderful view of the small, safe city i live in. It also allows me to afford electricity to listen to the music i like, watch the movies i like, have light to draw and read by, have the internet to connect with my friends and the rest of the world, have hot water, hot food and even warm my house so i can be comfortable in winter. I live in my nice comfortable apartment with a good man who loves me, puts up with me and cooks for me. He has the patience of a saint and the smile of an angel. I live in a place and a time where i have the freedom to be a pagan, a voter, a woman, an artist and not fear prosecution or shame for any of those things. I have a reliable car, dear friends, a family who, despite outward appearances, are a close-knit group of wonderful, supportive people who get along wonderfully well. The people at work, with a few minor exceptions, are friendly people, I have weekends off and finish work at 3.30pm most days.

JUST WHAT IN THE FUCK AM I BITCHING ABOUT???????

So you know what? I'm not. I'm not bitching any more. I've made the decision to be happy, to be grateful and to recognise that no matter how stressful work may seem or how horrible some people may be, in the grand scheme of things I'm blessed and i have no right whatsoever to be complaining about these tiny things as if they're the be all and end all of my life.

So come on, are you going to make that decision too? It's easier than you think. You may have to let go of some pet gripes, recognise that you (like me) are a bit too much of a drama queen for your own good, hell, you may even have to cry to let some pressure out. Or even a good laugh. That's what i did this morning whilst driving to work. I laughed. hard. it felt great! it would probably have sounded insane to someone else at the time, but it felt awesome to me. So go on, let it out, scream into a pillow, laugh, spin, cry. Do something to make the pressure go down.

The hardest part of this decision is putting it into practice. You have to monitor your mood, be conscious of your thoughts during the day. Whenever you feel yourself having a negative thought about someone or something, stop. Take a moment to distance yourself from that feeling, or that train of thought and think instead about something fun. What are your plans for your day off? What is a nice thing someone has done for you lately? What is something you like to eat? What is your hobby? Focus on these things. Actively turning away from negativity and focusing instead on the positive parts of your job or other aspects of your life is the most basic way to keep your happy attitude. And that's the bottom line: happiness is an attitude, it is a decision you have to make. It's handed to you in the little blessings and the good friends and beautiful parts of the world, but you have to choose to put those blessings higher up on your priority list than the little stresses and annoyances of everyday life.

So how about it? Want to join me in a happiness decision? It's easy. Just make that choice for yourself. Work, petty people, bad traffic, little spats with your lover or friends all suck, that's for sure, but they do not deserve to take away your positivity. Don't validate them by giving your precious energy and time to worrying about them. Take positive action and take care of yourself. you'll be amazed at how much extra energy and time you seem to have, how much better the workplace and your relationships can be when you're not grumpy and tired all the time!

And when all else fails, think of the colour yellow! Think of a big stunning yellow rose, or the yellow sun, or a buttercup. Yellow is a fantastic colour for happiness! Good luck and remember, having a good day is entirely up to you!