Today Is the Perfect Day to Be Happy

How often do we postpone happiness? We tell ourselves that we will be happy when we have more money, when the difficult situation is over, when we find the right relationship, when we get the new job or when life finally starts going the way we want it to. But what if we have got happiness the wrong way round?

Today is the perfect day to be happy. That doesn't mean today is perfect. It almost certainly isn't. There will be frustrations, disappointments, worries and things you would like to change. Positive thinking isn't about pretending those things don't exist. It is about refusing to make happiness dependent on everything going right.

There may be something good in your life today that you have stopped noticing. A conversation. A laugh. Someone who cares about you. A cup of coffee. A walk outside. A moment when nothing is demanded of you. We can become so focused on what is missing that we overlook what is already here.

And there is another trap. We can spend so much time waiting for happiness that we forget to participate in our own lives. You don't have to wait for permission to enjoy today.

Happiness isn't a reward that somebody hands you when you have finally achieved everything on your list. It can exist alongside ambition, uncertainty and difficult circumstances.

You can want your life to change while appreciating the life you have today. You can have problems and still laugh. You can be worried and still enjoy a moment. You can be working towards tomorrow without sacrificing today.

You are not broken. Your life doesn't have to be perfect before you are allowed to be happy. So don't keep postponing it.

Look around. Notice what is good. Enjoy something. Tell someone you love them. Smile. Today is here. And that makes today a pretty good day to be happy.