Don't Censor Your Happiness: Ignore the Naysayers!

In this life, I've found there are two key emotions most people feel most of the time: Happy and Sad.

This is a happy face!

This is a sad face!

There are varying degrees of happy and sad. There are times when one person's happy makes another person sad. But generally, I think the world would be a better place if people quit censoring their happy and let it shine.

House Rules
My boys often ask me why I sing all the time and will even tell me to quit. But if there's one steady rule in the Brewer household, it's that anyone is allowed to sing--when they're not doing so maliciously (parents know when this can happen). So when I feel like singing, I sing.

If the one of the boys tries to tell another to stop singing, I quickly remind them that everyone has a right to sing. Everyone has a right to be happy and express that happiness.

Dancing Machines
I remember once driving to a park with a few friends--either to go for a run or play disc golf or something. Anyway, we had to take two cars. So one of my brothers rode with me, and we followed the other car. My brothers and I have always been big on dancing to music (and even acting out our own imaginary music videos)--even in the car. So while we were stopped at a red light, we were breaking it down to some Chemical Brothers or Wyclef or something.

When we got to the park, our friends started making fun of us. Now there's two ways we could've taken this attention: Pulled within ourselves and censored out the happy, or we could take it and dance even more the next chance we got.

You better believe I still rock it out, dance, and freestyle rap when I'm rolling in my Kia Spectra.

There's Nothing Cool About Being Miserable
One thing about this life is that there are never too many smiles. Another thing I've noticed is that smiles are contagious. If you smile regularly, people will smile regularly in return.

Now I'm no fool. I know this world has plenty of miserable people trying to erase all traces of happy from the earth. These people either don't know how to make themselves happy or believe it's not "cool" to be happy. They think it's "cool" to be serious or tough or mean or, well, whatever. If you've been led down this path, please wake up; there's still time to turn that frown upside down.

There is nothing cool about being miserable or making other people feel miserable. Cool is being happy even when you have every reason to complain. Don't censor your happiness; let it shine through in everything you do.

5 Quick Ways to Be Happy

1. Sing. Whether in public or private, whether out loud or in your head, sing the heck out of the day.
2. Dance. Again, you can do this in public or private, on the outside or keep those smooth moves on the inside. Dancing is a state of mind.
3. Smile. I'm telling you, if you smile, others around you will smile. If you don't smile, others will take you serious too.
4. Stop. And when you stop, think about what's going right in your life--even if it's just that you are alive. After all, being alive is a miracle.
5. Forgive. Forgive everyone who tries to crush your happiness, whether it's a snotty co-worker, person who honked at you for not driving 20 miles over the speed limit, or even a group of teenagers who jumped you late at night on a side street on your way home from work. Yes, I've been in all those situations, and I've found forgiveness always makes me happier than dwelling on my anger.

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Check out these other Not Bob posts and start (or keep) making the world a better place around you:

• My New Weekend Routine.
• The Golden Rule to Everything.
• Every Day Matters: The Importance of Living Every Day Like It's Your Last.