Has anyone ever done or said something rude to you…and then you’ve stewed about it for hours afterward?

Have you ever been cut off in traffic…and then replayed the incident over and over again in your mind?

Yea? Well me, too! I think it’s happened to us all. But I don’t think there’s one of us who can say that the hours spent being angry amounted to anything but wasted time.

I want to share the following video with you about dealing with disappointments, or any unexpected moments in life that have the potential to get you down. I want to encourage you to stay in control of your happiness and to not let anything or anyone take it away from you.

Because the truth is that no matter what life throws at you, it’s always your choice how you react to it.

Yes, it’s very easy to let a negative event or a bump in the road bother you. But it’s also just as possible to decide to keep hold of your happiness and see life through a different lens.

The saying goes that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond, and I’ve come to believe that most people who live frustrated do so because they’re trying so hard to control the 10 percent. They say, “I’ll be happy when:

…the weather’s good.”

…the plans work out.”

…the boss is nice.”

…there’s no traffic.”

…they apologize.”

But the thing is, we have no control over those outside factors. The only thing we can control is our response to them.

And that, my friend, is where the power lies.

Because it’s not usually our circumstances that prevent us from being happy, it’s that we keep giving up our joy.

Doesn’t that sound crazy? Instead of guarding our joy like the precious gift it is, we hand it over so easily for reasons we couldn’t change if we tried.

So, let’s cut that out. Let’s refuse to give up our joy. Let’s accept that “life” is going to happen and there are going to be unexpected things that come along and knock us out. But by recognizing this and being prepared for it, we have a better chance of holding onto our happiness and keeping our joy.

Because here’s the thing: how you choose to respond to life’s bumps will have a direct result on how you feel. Choose to feel good anyway. Choose to let resentment go. And choose to embrace a life that might veer from the script from time to time. Doing so is what makes life truly extraordinary.

Lots of love,

P.S. Check out my Guard Your Joy Worksheet to help you protect your happiness and keep your peace. After you finish, comment below with one of your biggest “joy stealers” and one thing you plan to do to avoid it from getting the best of you!

P.P.S. One of my biggest joy stealers is when people don’t wave thank you when you stop for them in traffic. To keep it in check, I’ve been trying to take deep breaths and assume positive intent by telling myself they’re probably driving their wife to the hospital to deliver a baby at that moment and forgot to wave!