{"id":1892,"date":"2022-07-21T14:32:41","date_gmt":"2022-07-21T18:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chistell.com\/africanamericanfiction\/?p=1892"},"modified":"2022-10-20T20:37:55","modified_gmt":"2022-10-21T00:37:55","slug":"pathways-to-happiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chistell.com\/africanamericanfiction\/pathways-to-happiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Happiness Is a Choice: Shortcuts to Happiness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Books Author Denise Turney<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Buwaneka Boralessa on Pexels.com<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I remember the first time that I heard someone say, happiness is a choice. It was during an Off The Shelf Book podcast interview that I was hosting. The guest had been through several challenges, including a divorce, cancer and a major job change. Yet here she was telling the audience that \u201chappiness is a choice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happiness Is a Choice<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Certainly, I appreciated what the guest shared. Learning is a key takeaway that I\u2019ve longed gained from being the host of Off The Shelf Books podcast. Still, her words stung. Talk about struggling to accept that, during life\u2019s hard experiences, it\u2019s possible to choose to be happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept, the very idea, is worth exploring. Regardless of what\u2019s going on in your life, you can actually choose to be happy. Another factor to consider is that happiness is different to different people. Furthermore, happiness may seemingly change in meaning as you age, gain new experiences and alter your life goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, as a pre-teen, for you the pursuit of happiness could find you praying for a new bike, playing with friends, visiting fun relatives and catching your favorite movies at the drive-in. Fast forward several years, and the pursuit of happiness could see you trying to get someone to notice you enough to ask you out on a date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pathways to Happiness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or, you could be engaging in a sport in high school, launching your career or traveling abroad. By the time you reach my age, the pursuit of happiness could involve spending more time with a passion, building deeper family connections, keeping in touch with friends despite the miles between you and treasuring simple things like a walk thru nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although you might not have thought about it before, pathways to happiness change. Setbacks, disappointments and challenges can definitely change pathways to happiness. And, if you live in this world long enough, you\u2019ll face challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dreams that you had might not evolve the way that you wanted them to. On the other hand, your dreams could exceed your highest expectations for several years only to come to an abrupt halt. Despite these shifts, to reach the core of joy and peace, you\u2019ll have to keep going. This is when you might discover that happiness is an \u201cenergy\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pursuit of Happiness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go too long without feeling happy and you might start to feel tired, even drained. This is a reason why you might want to create daily routines that support your efforts to be happy. And remember \u2013 it\u2019s all your choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out these actions that you could take to be happy. See if any of them resonant. If not, explore the list and come up with smart actions that you can design yourself (for yourself). The point is to tap into what works for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n