TODAY’S HAPPINESS HOW-TO: Put on a Pair of “Happy Glasses”

What do you see? A washed up boat? Or a vessel waiting for its next big journey? (Image by Amy Spencer. Punta Uva, Costa Rica, 2011)

**“It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.”**
—Henry David Thoreau

What are you seeing when you look outside your window at these early spring days? Well, that depends on what you want to see.

I’m a sucker for those sunglass stands on the boardwalk, and can stand for twenty minutes trying on a dozen cheap pairs. The pair that make everything yellow. The pair that make it look like you just stepped out of an 80’s movie or into the 70’s. But you know what the best kind of glasses are? The glasses that we wear in our minds. The pair that can take what you see and utterly transform it into what you want. How do you make them happy glasses? Simply choose to see the positive side. Yes, choose.

Here’s what I mean…

If you look at a disastrous first day of work, you can see a depressing defeat or…a really funny story for the co-workers who will be your friends in a few weeks. If you look at a date that’s leaving you flat, you can see another failure in love or…a conversation with a new pal you may have been destined to meet. And if you look at the clouds in the afternoon sky, you can see an imperfect day or…a more interesting sunset as the sun lights up the layers of the sky.

Try this: This week, try on a pair of positive glasses. Choose to see everything that comes your way with a positive spin. See exciting changes, hopeful opportunities, funny missteps, smiles on strangers, interesting weather and fresh starts. The world doesn’t look the same to all of us. It doesn’t even look the same to two people looking at the very same thing. You see what you choose to see. You can see what want. This week, slip on the glasses that allow you to see your life from a brighter perspective. The best part? You won’t owe the sunglass guy $10, because your positive point of view is free!

What’s one negative thing in your day that you can look at today in a positive light? Tell me how you’ll frame your tough situation as if you’re wearing “happy glasses.”

Big love,