Consent to happiness. You have perhaps warded it away. When you frown or complain or stamp your foot, you signal happiness away. Instead of happiness, you have chosen "away from happiness". You have taken sides. Happiness will choose you at any moment you allow it in. You can be happy right now. It is a choice.

Most especially, when you feel life has denied you something, why compound it and deny yourself happiness? With or without whatever you most desire, you too can be happy. You can make happiness as well as unhappiness. Do not choose unhappiness, and you won't have it.

There are matters in relative life that you may not have the deliberate conscious choice over. Perhaps you do not choose the weather. You may not choose that your front door blows open. You may not choose who will knock on your door, but you do have the choice of joy over less than joy.

Actually, what you have had is the choice to turn joy away, for joy is your birthright. Joy is what you have when you don't interfere. But you don't always believe this or believe it at all. You may feel that the trend of modern life on earth or life as it ever has been, as painful, unjust, isolated. Undoubtedly, there is a whole list of reasons to object to life as it is on earth. Your objection is noted. Now favor joy.

Even if the world seems to punish you in a thousand ways, cannot you choose joy a thousand times? Glean the habit of joy.

When a car drives by and splashes you with mud, must you add aggravation to the mud on your clothes? Does that take the mud-splashing away? Is not the fact that you got splashed all the more reason for you to give yourself joy? Must you let a random splashing take joy away from you?

Even if you receive a tongue-lashing, isn't that enough? Must you then lash yourself afterward when you can shrug your shoulders and pick up where you left off before the tongue-lashing?

Must someone else's mood be the determinant of yours?

But, first, will you acknowledge that you have choice in the matter? Perhaps you have thought you have no choice. Perhaps you have thought that someone else or events in the world determine your joy or woe. That is false. You can do that, if you want, but you don't have to. The choice is yours. You can choose joy any time you choose.

Perhaps you have made a friend of frustration, made it a frequent companion, made it honorable. Do the same for joy. Let it in, and keep it. Feed it every now and then as you would a stray dog, and you will find that joy will stay by your side.

Joy does not have to be random. This is your life and your joy We speak of. When life is hard, you don't have to make it harder. All the more reason to bring joy in.

I say you deserve joy. You certainly deserve it more than all the other things you have substituted for it.

Do not consider that joy is frivolous. Somber is not better than joy. Be serious about joy, and keep it to you. Joy is honorable, and you are worthy of it.

When you are out of joy, you send a message of gloom to the world. Beat the drums of joy instead.

Choose the habit of joy. It is your responsibility. Leap out of bed with joy. Go to bed at night with joy. Make joy your right arm. Make your life joyful. Choosing joy is itself cause for celebration.