Being Happy

It's interesting when you really think about it, how easy it actually is to simply be happy. Obviously, it's clearly our own personal and powerful choice to be happy or not, however we so very easily forget the power within ourselves to do so. What is it that allows us to determine our own self worth and happiness? Why is it that in such a free society, we still have so much unhappiness? Why are so many of us effected by the choices of others? How does another person's expectations, ideals and value system determine how we think of ourselves and effects our feelings and mood? I'm convinced that the value set or actions of another human being has nothing to do with our internal feeling of being content. Choosing to be angry wastes both precious energy and time that can never be replaced. Simple actions and character traits of our different personalities can easily, yet oddly lead to judgment and condemning another for simply just being different. However if we choose to avoid judging the differences, then there's a clear path for the freedom to have joy. I also have to remind myself that there's really no universal set of values, but only similar ideals of how to act and fit into our own selected social circles. It's an amazing freedom to choose to let go of our expectations of others, whether it be how we expect them to act, or converse or live out their unique daily lives. That one decision in choosing to feel good despite our surroundings directly effects the most fundamental path to happiness, exponentially. So, how do we dissociate ourselves from our feelings from actions of another? Are we capable to actually dis-connect ourselves from the outcome of an other's actions and words and remain in joy, no matter how a situation unfolds? Are we strong enough to accept the responsibility of our own happiness versus holding someone else to blame for it because they say or do something different than our own expectations? I love the short and simple expression, "Live and let live" because at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what anyone else does or says; as it’s our own choices that make the difference in creating our ultimate joy.