At one time that would have been an obvious overstatement: "Oh, come on, you're going too far, it's not that bad". But now it seems to be more and more a statement of fact, taken literally without so much as the blink of an eye.

So where has the time gone?

Why does life seem to flash by at warp speed?

In fact we are so busy we don't give ourselves any time to think about what it means to be happy, healthy, content and satisfied. It sounds almost like a foreign language to some. "I'm too busy struggling to make ends meet, to catch up with the bills, to think about having a better life right now". It is as if our happiness is a thing of the future, only available after we have struggled and worked very hard to get there. Many of us are caught up with paying off the debts, the mortgage, the student loan, the car, the furniture... So we could be forgiven for thinking that happiness is a luxury and only for the future, maybe when we retire.

The problem with this way of thinking is that we get, or attract more of what we focus on the most. Our happiness doesn't lie out there somewhere at another place and time, waiting for us to arrive. It is already here now, waiting to be claimed.

It is only a decision away. We can CHOOSE to be happy. Happiness is our natural state. In fact by just getting out of our own way we can become happy no matter what our present circumstances. The secret seems to lie in first BEING what you desire. We have learnt to think 'struggle' and to take it as our reality. But truth is in fact relative. We experience our reality according to how we think.

Are you aware that you are completely free to choose what you focus on? Imagine getting the house of your dreams. Imagine how that feels. Everything just as you like it, down to the decor, the swimming pool, the magnificent gardens on a sunny day...

What did you feel?

One response might be a feeling of resistance which is often experienced in the body as a tightening or constriction. It goes along with thoughts like, "No point - it's not going to happen anyway" ...

On the other hand you might be feeling uplifted, happy, relaxed, maybe excited. With positive thoughts and laughter, as your body relaxes you will open into feeling more expansive.

Let me ask you something: is it the house that has made you happy or your imagination? Do you, in fact need the house to make you happy? Some people get the house and still don't feel happy. The funny thing is, if you continue to be happy at the THOUGHT of being in possession of this house you are much more likely to attract into your life more things to be happy about. More than if you keep on trudging along on the 'never-ending' treadmill of lack, need, denial and wanting.

Ultimately it is your choice. There is more than enough to go round and you only need to tap into it. You are free to live happily right now, in this moment because thoughts are just thoughts and you can change them, change your focus, your attitude and how you respond. This is the secret to a happy life. What we want ultimately is to be happy. So why not start there? Open into being happy from the inside out.

Laugh for no reason. What? Yes, laugh, whether it is artificial to begin with or genuine, laughter acts as a natural stress reliever and makes you feel good. Take the serious things in life and look at them with a sense of humour and fun. Let go of resistance and learn to connect with a playful attitude, your more spontaneous and delightful inner child, who you were before you learned how to be negative and judgmental, before you learned fixed ways of responding to the world. Be present to life, open to a sense of adventure and allow life to touch you in new and deeply enriching ways.

When was the last time you stopped to smell the roses?

All in all it is about moving from busy and mostly negative thoughts of the mind to living from an abundant and open heart. Your choice.