There is so much talk about how to “find” happiness; self-help books, seminars, and blogs galore. Everyone has their thoughts on the topic. For me, one of the best ways to be happy, is just to choose to be happy. The way you do that is to realize that you cannot control everything, you can only control how you respond and react to circumstances beyond your control. Your mind can become jumbled and clouded when you spend energy fighting against the universe. So many things happen outside of your control. It can be as simple as being stuck by a train and being late to an appointment, or it can be monumental, like being laid off from your job in an economic downturn. How you respond to these events will impact your happiness on a day-to-day basis. Try to go with the flow and let things slide. I’m a huge believer that things happen for a reason, so try to look for the lesson in things. What can you learn? How can you grow? You and only you are responsible for your happiness, so let everyone else off the hook. You don’t need to “find” happiness – you can just decide to “be” happy. It is completely your choice.

P.S. For those of you that might have noticed, I skipped last week, 16 Weeks, because I was out of town and just need a break from all things photography!

**If you’d like to learn more about this maternity self-portrait series, please check out this blog.