I remember when I was little, my mother often said to me to “think positive.” She said this to me anytime I was stressed about an issue in my life. And believe me, there were many.

Now, so many years later, I have adopted positive thinking. You really don’t believe it until you see it in operation in your life but it does exist.

The Secret brought this out to the mainstream and there are so many other authors and life coaches who follow the same principles. I don’t want to tell you how much time I spend on Oprah.com reading anything that’s going to help me stay in a place of mental and emotional well-being.

I came away from a recent visit to my Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) doctor with one simple prescription…Be Happy. Now, when Dr. Wang gives me a prescription I truly take it to heart. I couldn’t let those two simple words go. They stuck with me all day. And in following my normal approach to a new idea, I needed to do some research.

The first place I looked for research on happiness was home. You see, I buy books often and most of the time; I never crack the spine until it’s the perfect time. In my personal library I found a book I purchased over a year ago, 365 Health and Happiness Boosters. When I bought it I only scanned it and didn’t fully embrace the ideas in presented. I found it on my shelf and it has been by my side ever since. I will share some of its wisdom in future posts.

I’m in the middle of researching happiness and I realize — happiness is not something you are. It’s a choice. You choose to be happy. The flip side is you choose not to be sad.

Part of my choosing to “be happy” is writing a list each month of things in life that give me joy. I’m doing this at the first of the month as a way to bring that joy with me for those 28-29-30-31 days of that month. I am starting the month with an intention.

I also completed my Vision Board. A vision board is a visual reminder of your goals, places you want to visit, accomplishments, etc. Keep in mind those visions require something from you not just thoughts. They come with responsibility. Visuals work very well for me so a vision board was up my alley.

I visited Christine Kane’s blog on how to create a vision board. This wasn’t just a task. It became a vocation. It forced me to look at my life, not just the here and now but down the road, my future. I considered what was important to me and those visuals became a part of my board. So far I understand I can have and/or experience everything on my board.

As for being happy, that’s an accomplishment too. When I find myself in a place of negative thinking, I shake myself out of it pretty quickly. I don’t like the way it feels so I choose not to feel that way any longer. It’s amazing how a change in attitude and belief can affect those around you as well. Because in the midst of choosing happiness, those around you can’t get past the Happy Barrier.

If you take away anything, take away this…Be Happy!