Have you ever gotten to a point in life where you compared all the great times in life to the times of younger years? If you are like me, many times I look at life and think of when I did something or how I used to do things. Recently, I thought to myself the things that I loved so much about me I have made a distant memory. I had allowed life and circumstances to become closer than a brother, my new friends. After deep thought I said to myself, “I refuse to continue to think in terms of “when I used to do” or “how I used to”. Never will I allow them to be a distant memory again. I choose to get my happy back!

I realized I had many great things that I actually liked about myself, but I had given them away to dance in the wind. No longer were those things within reach. No longer were they even visible in my life. Nope! I won’t settle another day. It’s time to step into a new dimension of life and I’m taking my happy with me.

I had made my decision, came to my conclusion and it is final. I’m getting up every morning spending my time with my God and recapturing that spark of life that I so desperately need and deserve. I’m living my life to the fullest and it starts today. I’m going to do all the things that make me look good, feel good, inspire and educate me. I’m leaving my fears and things I can’t control behind, and even a few people too. Yep, getting my happy back also requires me to drop off some collected baggage of other people. No more carrying things and trying to fix people that I don’t have the power to fix. Nope, I just don’t have that kind of energy anymore. Besides, I don’t feel like worrying today. I’ve learned it never helped me anyway.

I started my day off with a vision of a Picasso picture of how perfect life could be with a good start and a good plan; so off to the bathroom I go. Looking into the large mirror, I begin to smile and say to myself, “Girl, let’s brighten up that face and give yourself that morning glow.” So I begin with a wonderful facial, cleansing my pores and seeing freshness in me again. I also realized that I was kind of fussy about my hair and I actually like that idiosyncrasy about myself, so I’m taking that back too. Yep, what’s wrong with wanting to look your best all the time? No more bad days. It’s time for more and more good days. So I spent time customizing my hairstyle to match the cute little dress that I had selected. Since orange is my favorite color and it looks great on me, I started the day off with a big bang. I added pumps and accessories to finish off my look. A familiar smile crept upon my face and I thought to myself, “Step 1 of getting my happy back!”

While I did spend too much time primping back in the day, I have opted to keep my new time management plan intact. So I have given myself a time frame in which to complete my daily beauty regimen.

Another thing that I loved to do on my way to work was listening to CDs that inspired me to be my very best me. I thought back to the times before I went on the road, doing hair and make up for Ashanti and a few other celebrities. I remember that I was very focused on my goals and that music that I listened to daily actually help me achieve success in many areas of my life. Time to dust off my priceless CDs and get back to my happy. Besides, when I am happy, I transfer that same joy to all I encounter. Hearing the words of Les Brown, Brian Tracy, Michael Gerber, and Norman Vincent Peale added so much substance to everyday of my life. Once again, it’s time to turn my car into Automobile University. Step 2 of unpacking my happy.

Now, step 3 was one step that I truly missed. I reminded myself of my healthy lifestyle that I have separated myself from. Yeah, I workout somewhat now but not to the extent that I need too. Once again I thought back to that place of going to Bally’s fitness center, 5 days a week, 2 hours a day. I said to myself, “No longer will I condition my mind with poor or even wrong self talk, believing I don’t have time.” I have come to find out that most, if not all of us, have at least 4 free hours in each day. I must learn to use my time wisely by prioritizing my entire day.

After digging through a few boxes, I found one of my old daily routines. While life has changed a lot for me over the years, my old plan still has some very good ideas. I decided to add some of those old ideas into my new ones. Getting back to my happy would require: a good night’s sleep, expect tomorrow to be great, spend my first hour with God, my second hour reading something that  adds value to my life for 30 minutes, getting in a good workout, spend a little time loving on myself by making me look like the success I say I want, and going to Automobile University.

As I head to work, I walk in the door not only looking like the CEO, but commanding success with every step that I take. In my head I was singing, “Clap along if you know what happiness is to you. Because I’m happy. Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do.” My new theme song is “Happy” by Pharrell. As the day ends, I can truly say I got my happy back.

P.S. Happiness is attractive and contagious!