We all want to be happy, don't we? Is there truly anyone out there that would choose a life of anxiety and depression if faced with a choice? I don't think so, and having a positive attitude about happiness can change everything. I think deep down, we all want to be happy and I'd like to show you how all of us can achieve this happiness.

Life is fraught with problems. Maybe a divorce recently occurred or is in your near future. Maybe there has been a recent death in the family. Perhaps your kids have driven you to the last of your wits with their defiance. So, with all of this to be unhappy about you may ask, why be happy?

For starters, it's healthier. A person that does not let their problems weigh on their mind also does not let stress get to them physically. It is proven that happier people are healthier. They choose to focus their mind on the positives in their life therefore they keep their stress levels down, which keeps the heart pumping regularly, the blood flowing nicely, and the blood pressure down.

Need another reason for happiness? How about a positive influence on those around you. If you are a parent, or aunt or uncle, you have little ones looking up to you and learning from you as to how to deal with life. If you are often in public, your influence is felt by everyone you have contact with. A positive influence is definitely better and more productive than a negative one.

Success in your life's pursuits is also a reflection of your mental state. If you go into your life's work with a negative attitude, you may be able to keep the job because you are doing the work, but you probably will not have much success in that job. If you want to have success in all of your life's pursuits, you must go in with a positive attitude. If you think that your accomplishments are small, they will be, but if you expect those accomplishments to be big and make a difference, they will be. Your attitude will certainly influence your successes in your life's pursuits.

One of the first steps to take in accomplishing this happiness is to figure out within yourself what keeps you from being happy. Is it a major event in your life that's constantly on your mind? Is it a feeling of incompetence? Is it a self esteem issue that's been with you since your youth? Working this out within yourself is an important step. Journaling is an excellent way to do this.

If you sit down and make a list of everything that is bothering you, you will have a much better chance of coming upon the thing that is truly holding you back from being happy. Not a writer? If you have a close friend that you can confide in, maybe you could bend their ear and together you and the friend will find the source of the problem.

If you don't want to confide in someone you know, maybe a therapist will help. Once you've had an opportunity to work out what the problem is, you will be in the right position to draw up a plan of attack and finally reclaim the sunshine in your life.

Once you have found the source of the problem, it is time to eliminate it. If your dark cloud comes every time you think about the problem, you have to find a counter device. If your mind tends to dwell on the negative, every time your mind goes there, find something that makes you happy to think about. After you've done this a few times, it will become a natural thing for you to refocus your mind on the positive when it drifts to the negative.

If you're upset and are having a hard time finding happiness because of a temporary event in your life, try reminding yourself that this is temporary and eventually you'll be able to look back on it with less than negative feelings. By remembering that nothing lasts forever, you'll better be able to focus on the positive that will eventually return to your life.

Happiness is something that everyone can achieve. It is something that everyone deserves and it's worth working for when times are rough. A focus on the positive will remind you that the negative is temporary and that no matter what, there is always something in life to remain happy about.

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Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of my-personal-growth.com, a site that provides information and articles for self improvement and personal growth and development.