Can Choosing Happy Really Be That Simple?

Can choosing happy really be that simple?

I have been thinking about this since I was a guest on the I Choose Happy podcast with Marilyn.

The other morning, I woke up happy.

Not because everything was perfect. It wasn’t.

I woke up with a calm, peaceful kind of happy. No loud critical voice to quiet down. No argument with myself before my feet hit the floor.

I got up, made coffee, read, meditated, walked outside, and everything looked and felt brighter.

It was one of those mornings where life felt lighter and peaceful.

And then the next morning.

I woke up anxious, like the day was already ahead of me. I was trying to learn something new on my computer, which of course was supposed to be easy, except nothing was working.

Then I started spinning.

What am I doing? Why is this taking so long? Why is it already 4:30? What did I even get done today?

Nothing.

At least nothing I could point to.

And there it was. That old trap.

The day didn’t count because I didn’t produce enough.

But then I wondered, why did I wake up so happy the day before?

What was different?

And then it dawned on me.

The night before that good morning, I had written down what I was grateful for before I went to sleep.

Small things.

Nothing major.

Just enough to shift my attention.

The night before the anxious morning, I hadn’t done it.

I have been testing this for a while, and I don’t think it’s magic. I think it’s focus.

Research seems to agree. One study found that gratitude before sleep was linked to more positive thoughts, fewer negative thoughts, and better sleep. Another found that people who counted their blessings felt more optimistic and better about their lives.

So maybe “what you appreciate, appreciates” is not just a saying.

Maybe it is where choosing happy begins.

Not by pretending everything is fine or forcing a mood I don’t feel.

But by giving my mind a better place to land.

That is trust, too.

When I trust myself, I remember that the day does not have to become a test I was never meant to take.

We can begin again with one small question:

What can I be grateful for right now?

A good cup of coffee. A kind text. A walk outside. One vulnerable conversation. A moment of stillness. The fact that we get to begin again.

I recently joined Marilyn on the I Choose Happy podcast, where we talked about my book, Trust Yourself Anyway, and what it means to design a joyful life that actually fits.

LISTEN TO I CHOOSE HAPPY

Sally’s Weekly Reminder

“Joy is not something we earn. Joy is something we return to.”