The Dali Lama said, Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.

This may be a discouraging thought to those of you who reply on hope of winning the lottery to fulfill your happiness. Trust me, I am not poking fun. I too have been there.

Happiness is a creed we choose to live by deep in the soul of who we are. Pretty philosophical there I know. But, think about it for a minute.

Your child drops his milk, breaks the glass and makes a huge mess. First instinct scream and tell them to get out. You clean it alone in frustrations. Or, you can take the child by the hand and teach them life is about cleaning up the messes we make. Inevitably we are all going to make the messes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have in the past been the screaming frustrated mom. What I have learned is we are raising little human beings. They learn through us how to cope with and get through life. Our goal is to help them become successful. Success is not something that comes from perfection, hoping, wishing, or playing with luck. Success is derived from determination, hard work, and dedication.

So the next time you are faced with an obstacle. Look at it, study it, patiently walk around and through it. Learn something and apply it to life. Keep going. Do not let a fall, a broken glass, a burden stand in your way of being happy and successful today.