Happiness is a choice.
This may come as a bold statement for many, yet it is the absolute truth. In almost any situation we find ourselves, we can choose to be happy if we want to. Obviously, this is more difficult to do in some situations than in others. For example, if we are in physical pain, it's very difficult to focus our minds on happiness. And when we are experiencing something pleasurable, happiness almost comes on it's own.
In our modern world, we rarely experience physical pain. Most of the situations we find ourselves unhappy in are simply situations that don't meet our expectations. A friend who betrays our trust, a life partner that is dishonest or unfaithful, a boss that is difficult and demanding. These are the types of situations that we can choose to be happy in if we set our mental focus properly.
One of the most basic (and most effective) mental stimulus is the judgment that we place on the interpretation of each event. When we judge an event to be bad, our emotional reaction is negative and unhappiness results. If we judge an event to be good, then happiness is much more likely. In many motivational programs, you will find the instruction to label all experiences as good, and then to search for the goodness in the experience. If you lose your job, claim "this is good" and then go about looking for the good in losing your job. It's usually the opportunity to find a better means of employment.
In other situations, the goodness of the situation is harder to find. For example, someone lies to you and causes you to lose your trust in them. What good is there in that? Maybe it's an indication that your trust is misplaced and you need to focus elsewhere for truth. Maybe it's an indication that you've allowed an experience to be created (from previous usages of Power) that you don't like. In this case, it's an indication that you need to refocus your mind to create what you do want, and not what you don't want.
And this is the central message here. Your thoughts and feelings are directing Power to create your life experiences. Think about the possibility of dishonesty, or allow yourself to feel that dishonesty is a possibility, and you sow the seeds for a dishonest experience.
Whatever the situation, we need to focus our mind on happy things. Maybe we start to think about other situations other than the one we are currently in. Think about a time when you were tremendously happy. Relive the experience in your mind. Pretend that you are having the same experience right now. Or maybe it's better to think about how you would like the current situation to end. Imagine that the situation is completely transformed and becomes what you want it to become. Or maybe you only need to focus on the concept that everything will be okay, whether you know how it will end or not.
There's a story that I like to remember from time to time. There was once a farmer living on a plot of land with his family. This farmer had 2 horses to help him farm his land. And if he worked with those 2 horses from sun up to sun down, he barely made enough to support his family. One day, one of the horses ran away. The farmer's neighbour, once he found out about it, said "That's terrible. Now you won't have what you need to support your family. You'll surely starve to death." The farmer replied "Maybe, maybe not."
The next day, the horse that ran away came back, and brought 2 other horses with it. The farmer's neighbour happened to be there, and exclaimed jubilantly "This is wonderful! Now you'll be able to earn much more, and you and your family will live in luxury!" Again, the farmer's response was "Maybe, maybe not."
A few days later, one of the farmer's sons tried to tame one of the wild horses. The horse threw the young boy. When the boy fell, one of his legs was broken. Again the farmer's neighbour said "That's terrible!" and again the farmer replied "Maybe, maybe not."
About a week later, the local militia came around recruiting all available young men. Because the farmer's son's leg was broken, they passed by without taking him. Again the farmer's neighbour said "That's great!" and again the farmer replied "Maybe, maybe not."
The basic lesson in this story (which could go on forever), is that you never really know what will happen because of the current event. Even if the situation now is "terrible", it may be necessary to get to a situation that's "Great!"