“The hardest truth about happiness is that it’s a choice.” –Shane Parrish1
You can focus on what you don’t like about a situation, or you can choose to pay attention to the aspects that you do like. You can long for what you don’t have or be glad for what you do. You can resist what you’re experiencing or accept it with grace. You can focus on scarcity and feel deprived or focus on abundance and feel grateful.
You can believe the first thought that comes into your mind, or you can choose a better interpretation of reality. Negative thoughts arise automatically, but you don’t have to accept them. So many of the thoughts that make us unhappy simply are not true. And even if they are true, they’re rarely the whole truth. You can choose better thoughts.
When someone does or says something upsetting, you can take offense, or you can choose to let it go. You can give them the benefit of the doubt or at least the benefit of the dumb, instead of feeling bitter and intentionally wronged. You can choose forgiveness, kindness, patience, or generosity, even when it’s not what someone “deserves,” because it’s the right thing to do, both for them and for you.
You can passively complain about how things are, or you can choose to be proactive. Life may deal you a bad hand, but you can still take positive action. You might suffer from clinical depression, but there are still things you can do to help yourself. Even when things are very bad, there’s nothing stopping you from becoming better.
I’m not saying you can be happy all of the time. That’s impossible. I’m saying you can be happy a lot more often if you choose to be.
Remember, the power of choice is in your hands. Always.
1 Parrish, Shane. “The Hardest Truth.” Farnam Street. Brain Food No. 615. February 9, 2025.