Happiness: An inside job

Recently I heard Oprah Winfrey say, "You can feel happy, or you can be happy."

Do you know the difference?

When you feel happy, your emotional well-being is based on what's happening outside and around you. Nothing wrong with that. We do have life experiences that simply make us feel happy for a time. We spend a day in an activity we love doing. We hear a concert or attend a play that we thoroughly enjoy. We spend time with a friend or loved one, and life seems beautiful for that time.

However, when we are happy, we can be sure it's an inside job. It's something that arises from deep within us, and it really is part of an intention on our part to make the best of our days and years. It's a choice—a decision we make. We can be happy even amid challenges and difficulties. That emotional state isn't the result of the good time we just had. It's more of a joy and serenity that's settled into our bones, into the very marrow of our being.

Feeling happy is delightful. But being happy is a wonderful choice if you are interested in a lifestyle of contentment and joy.