Dear Universe,

A few months ago, signs of happiness bombarded me in the course of twenty-four hours.  Literally.

On my way to get a coffee, I saw a billboard that was promoting happy thoughts.

At the coffee shop, I received a free download for a documentary titled “Happy.”

Next, someone sent me a tweet about the movie “Happy” telling me I should watch it.

Feeling like these were signs, I downloaded it to watch.  I got busy.  I felt guilty—especially when the free download expired.

Fast forward…

Over the weekend I was browsing Netflix looking for something inspirational to watch and voila!  “Happy” popped up.

I figured with work starting again so soon, there was no time like the present so I finally watched “Happy.”  I’m glad I did.

The documentary explores what truly makes people happy.  With interviews of people living all over the world, to experts in the field of positive psychology (yes, there is such a thing), the documentary seeks to answer the question that has plagued us all at some point:

What makes us happy?

Of course, it’s a complex question, but the good news?  The answer is really quite simple.

Long lasting happiness comes from the loving relationships we have in our lives, from being physically active and from giving back to others in a meaningful way.

In other words, the main things that make us happiest are free.

I’ll let that sink in for a moment.

Free!  Sure other things make us happy too, but usually the big, expensive items or accomplishments only make us ecstatic in the short term, not for the long haul.

Watch the documentary if you get a chance.  It’s interesting to see how different people define happiness.

And then think long and hard about what really makes you happy… so you can do more of that.

After all…

“Life’s too short to be anything but happy.” ~Unknown

Thank you for the reminder.

Much Gratitude,

A