Happiness is a decision
“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” Francesca Reigler
Mornings around our house can be challenging.
We all get up early, but that doesn't make us morning people. No one's very happy about it. Even the dog ignores our activity until he's good and ready to wag his tail. Still, we insist on happy attitudes.
Of course, by "insist" I don't mean we demand happy faces, as such a demand can't be met. However, we relentlessly coax, cajole, tease, and gradually pull out smiles and laughs as we start our day. We talk, we throw socks at each other, we work on new dog tricks.
We CHOOSE to start the day in a happy way.
As a little disclaimer, when I say "we" I don't mean me exactly. I mean, I am "one" with my husband, right? So I can take credit for the "he" part of the "we," right?
He, Billy, is in charge of the "happy" family reset.
To be candid, I feel a little chaffed whenever I hear Billy tell the kids to "make good choices" about their attitude. I bristle when his reminder to be considerate hits my ears. I am tired and I would prefer to carry my grumpiness around like a warm blanket. I know Billy is talking directly to the short people in the family, but the words land with me too.
I see my husband, who was up before me, finding ways to make the kids laugh. I watch him play Draw Something with the kids in the "extra" time before they leave. At this point, I soften a little and realize the penalty for "marrying up" is being challenged to do better.
I get to decide my attitude for the day. I am not, as Stephen Covey famously said, "..the product of my circumstances. I am the product of my decisions."
And so, although I'm usually the last person in Team Phenix to buy into the idea to decide to "make it a great day," I'm always happy when I get there.
I hope you decide to have a great day today too!