My only goal in life at this point is to be happy. I get asked often what’s my one, five-year plan for my life and career. Yet the question always draws a blank stare from me. My mind freezes and I start scrambling for a good enough response. Don’t get me wrong I’ve had goals in the past, something I’ve set to get to a certain point. Some goals I’ve met some I have not. I decided what I truly want has nothing to do with family, friends, career, wealth or objects. What I truly want at this point in my life is to be happy. It’s an internal thing. It’s a mental space that I find myself moving closer to everyday. Take for example right at this moment I’m sitting on a restaurant patio listening to corny classic rock yet I feel so happy and content. I’m not doing anything in particular except reading, grabbing a bite to eat, swatting flies and just enjoying the occasional breeze as it swings across my face. The sun is shining, the trees are green, the sky is blue sky and I am totally happy.

About a year ago I put a mantra above my bathroom mirror and it said “I CHOOSE HAPPINESS”.  That mantra reminded me daily that not only could I choose how I respond in situations but I could choose what happens next in my life. The moment I plastered that mantra up is the same moment I took responsibility for my life. It’s also when happiness became my goal.  When I was younger I thought everything outside of myself would lead to happiness.  What I really needed was perspective and gratitude for what already existed in front of me.

Happiness means different things for different people. I find happiness in…