Being happy for life is not about being happy all the time.  I don’t believe that anyone can be happy all the time.  Things happen.  We lose loved ones or pets.  Situations are difficult and events don’t go the way we want them too.  Regardless of events, we have to find a way to protect our happiness when things get us down, and there will always be things.  As you think about goals for the future, please don’t set a goal that you will always be happy.   Find a way to be happy, regardless of what life sets up.  That’s a much better way to be happy, for life.

So where do we start, you might ask?  Let’s talk about relationships, specifically friendships.  Surrounding yourself with positive people is a start.  Surrounding yourself in drama can be a disaster when it comes to living your best life.  These days, drama is everywhere.  There seems to be a negative Nancy on every corner, talking about how horrible everything is.  I’m not saying that things are perfect, and they likely never will be perfect, but there are opportunities to thrive.  If you have people around you that are negative and talk about how things will never get better, you run the risk of believing it.  Don’t allow yourself to be brought down but the attitude of others.

Now let’s talk about relationships, of the romantic kind.  Just like keeping negative friends at a distance, be careful when it comes to romance.   Allowing a negative partner to get close to you can result in significant relationship problems.   Of all our relationships, a romantic partner is likely a close person.  We share our hopes and dreams, and hope that mutual respect is shared.  Trust becomes important.  We need to be able to manage disagreement and conflict with respect and care.  After all, relationships will always have conflict.  Partners have to learn to negotiate and compromise.  Without that ability, the relationship can become negative.  All the more reason to manage partner relationships if you want to be happy.

The other area to consider is work life.  Many people struggle with issues related to coworkers.  Some businesses are overwhelmed by drama created by their employees, with little ability to limit how it affects the business.   Personal issues often affect performance, but getting tied up in drama at work may not be the best idea.  It may be hard to stay out of drama but the benefit of staying outside the issues can mean a higher level of happiness in your own life.  Taking on issues of others, and being the fixer, can take away from your happiness.

We can’t be happy all the time, but we can have a plan to work on our environment.  We can surround ourselves with people who lift us up, not tear us down.  We can limit negativity from drama and stay out of situations that we can’t control.  We can protect ourselves from people who may be abusive or have little respect for our feelings.  As we think about the future, and how to be happy, we can start by looking at our relationships.  It’s a part of being happy for life.