The other day I got a message from a friend who had just discovered my blog and who asked me exactly this question: “How do you manage to be so happy?” I attempted an answer but then I thought that this would make a good blog post entry as I can expand on it…

I suppose happiness is something you choose to feel, to a certain degree. I do realise but there are circumstances that are out of our control (I take the extreme case of domestic abuse, for example) from which I would advise anyone to remove themselves, first for their own safety and then for their sanity and happiness. But under “normal” circumstances, whether you are a stay-at-home mum, a successful in everybody else’s eyes businesswoman or a jobless student, one can be happy, I believe.

It has everything to do, for me, with setting goals and achieving your dreams, whatever those dreams are: building a business, getting a job, having a clean home and tidy children? Goals are as individual as we are but as long as we work towards them, strive to move, one small step at a time, towards what we believe we were made to do or be, then we’ll be happy.

For me, at the moment, my goals are as simple as keeping my home clean, writing on my blog when I find the time (as I find it therapeutic) and doing my weekly reading for the Open University course I am taking this year.

In  a few weeks, they will probably change to coping with the lack of sleep that comes with a newborn without too many meltdowns, keeping on top of my house work while looking after two small children and  managing to have a warm meal from time to time :-).

I would encourage everyone to set goals and work towards them if they want to achieve happiness. Happiness doesn’t come from having loads of things, being surrounded by famous and glamorous people or living in a fancy home but from feeling contentment over achieving what you had decided that would make you feel fulfilled.

Spending my mornings in the library reading for my course makes me happy!