“Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year to you, too!”

How many times have you been part of this exchange in the past week? It comes with high hopes for a good year ahead, and often with longing for a better year than the one that came before. We wish all the best for our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and ourselves.

But what makes for a happy year anyway? Do you ever feel that happiness eludes you?

I have. I don’t tend to be a happy person by nature. I want to change that.

It’s been traditional to make resolutions for the new year. This often ends in
disappointment, as they can be unrealistic or hard to keep. More recently, people are instead choosing a word, one word to represent their goal or intentions for the year.

I decided to go with two words. I enlisted the help of my sister, who made me this bracelet:
I decided if happiness doesn’t come easy for me, I’d begin to make the choice to be happy. This bracelet provides a visible, constant reminder of my goal.

Instead of lamenting the past or being anxious about the future, I want to stay present and enjoy each moment right where I am. After all, these days will soon become the “good old days”. I want to make the most of them.

Now this doesn’t mean I intend to walk around with a constant smile on my face. That would be ridiculous. I mean, people would either think I was creepy or up to no good or think I’d gone mad.

But I can choose to be happy no matter what is going on.

So that’s it. Whenever life starts to get me down, I’m going to make that conscious choice. Whether I have a lot or a little, there is always something to be thankful for and lots to be grateful and happy about.

What do you think? Want to join me and have a happy new year?!

What word or goal have you chosen? How will you remind yourself as the year progresses?

I do hope this is your best year yet!

~Carolyn

“Life isn’t easy. Together we can make it better.”