Simply Happy Every Day

"Feeding the soul will give us more nourishment than the most expensive entrée on the menu. If we are not happy, we would be better off living on hot dogs and beans than choking down the best steak. And isn't that what it's all about? Aren't we all seeking love, acceptance, peace, and happiness-that passion for life that makes us want to jump out of bed every morning and thank God for another day? It is simply a matter of choices." - From the book It is often irksome to pick up a book on happiness, written by a Pollyanna who has never been through any major difficulty. However, this is certainly not the case with Simply Happy Every Day by Barb Rogers. Barb has endured poverty, abuse, the loss of her children, addiction, and a life-threatening illness that robbed her of a prosperous costuming business. Yet, what she has gained through making empowered choices-wisdom, joy, and serenity-she freely shares in this little book. Although only 114 pages, Simply Happy Every Day offers profound insights, no-nonsense observations, and practical strategies that are borne from surviving tragedy-and thriving despite them. Barb shows readers several ways to escape a victim mentality, shrug off restrictive labels, take responsibility for your own happiness, and release suffering by living in the Now and embracing what is. Here are some of my favorite passages from the book: "...stop doing what we don't want to do, stop impressing people we don't care to impress, stop gaining things we may not even want. Let that imprisoned inner child out." "You know, it doesn't matter if you're seventeen or seventy-you can rip those old labels off, cast aside the expectations of others, and start over. Every day is a new beginning, and you can choose to begin again at any time. It is never too late, and you're never too old." "If we are forced to spend our lives in work and worry to attain those things that we no longer have time for, or don't have the energy left to enjoy, perhaps it's time to stop and begin eliminating until we find a better place." "Today, when I think of being simply happy, the answer is to live simply. Resolve the past, leave it there, be true to yourself and your God, and let the future take you where it will. Rid yourself of those things and situations that steal your serenity. And always remember that we are spirits of the universe, here for a short time, having a human experience on our way home." If you're caught up in the rush of modern living, wishing for more and wondering why you aren't happy despite all the "stuff" at your disposal, Simply Happy Every Day provides lucid, sensible advice on how to take responsibility for your own happiness through empowered choices.