Every morning we wake up with a choice.

It’s not whether we should shower, what we will have for breakfast, or what we will do for the day. No, it’s bigger than that. There is one decision we make every morning that will determine our whole day. One decision that defines our attitude for the day.

That question is:

“Am I going to be happy today?”

Seems like a simple enough question, right? Who would seriously choose to be unhappy for the day?The decision comes with consequences, though. It’s not a decision to take lightly. You have to commit to your decision for your own sanity.

Every morning, I get up and ask myself this question. I legitimately ask myself if I’m going to be happy that day. I don’t ask myself if I am just going to be happy in that moment but for the entire day, despite all the crap life may throw at me that day.

I don’t ask myself this question because I struggle to be happy. My life is great. I have great friends and family. God is good. I ask myself this question as a reminder, a constant reminder throughout my day to take a moment and enjoy the little things. Sometimes I think we get so in our own heads. One thing goes wrong and we spin out of control, dwelling on it and letting it consume our entire day. We will be happy one moment and then bam, we remember that bad thing and it’s all downhill. I can admit I do this far too often.

When people say it’s the little things in life that matter most, they’re right. The little things in life can cheer us up or tear us down. The decision relies on us. We get to choose how those little things affect us. My boyfriend is the greatest person I know at finding joy in the little things. It's my favorite thing about him. Things that I would find so minuscule and mundane, he finds such wonder in. He inspires me to find that joy.

For me to find that joy, it starts out with a simple question. Every morning, I wake up and make a choice. If I'm being honest, sometimes I don’t make the right choice. There are days where it seems that everything goes wrong. Then, there are days where one thing has gone wrong and I let it affect everything. I haven’t got it all figured out yet. What I can say is that every morning, I strive for the decision to be happy. On those days, I fight off the negativity and try to find the simple pleasures in what God has given me and the pure joy that’s found in God alone.

So for today, I choose to be happy. What will you choose?