Develop a Habit of Happiness

This Christmas the greatest gifts we could give to others and our own selves are the gifts of love and joy. Why? There are a couple of reasons to give these gifts. The first is that they make us happy, and the second is that they don't cost us a dime!! The only way we can give happiness away is first...to have it ourselves. How do we attain this wonderful gift? We have to develop it. Our habits are learned responses. In one of my facebook groups today, I received this messages, "Our experiences color everything. The events of the past can have a profound effect on how we see our lives now and what we choose to believe about our world. Our past experiences can also influence our emotional reactions and responses to present events. Each of us reacts to stimulus based on what we have learned in life. There is no right or wrong to it; it is simply the result of past experience. Later, when our strong feelings have passed, we may be surprised at our reactions. Yet when we face a similar situation, again our reactions may be the same. When we understand those experiences, we can come that much closer to understanding our reactions and consciously change them." Joel Osteen says that the good news is that we can 'reprogram' our own 'computer'. We can develop a habit of happiness. The bible says in I Thessalonians 5:16, "Rejoice in the Lord always." No matter what comes our way, we can develop the habit of happiness and smile our way through it. We do not have to wait till the crisis has passed to be happy. This is the only moment there is. If we choose peace of mind as our only goal and give our unconditional love, we can have a Merry Christmas. Acts 2:28 says, "You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with Your presence." Make a decision right now to have a Merry Christmas and stay happy the rest of this year, and make 2009 a year that shines.