What is happiness? Happiness is defined as contentment, pleasure, gladness; joy, delight and cheerfulness just to name a few. Is your life full of happiness or you just walking around trying to please everyone. We all strive to make sure everyone is happy, provide what they need on a daily basis, and do everything that they ask of you. But somewhere in the mist of things you get lost and become disengaged in your own happiness.

At times we know all of our families can be demanding, wanting everything and can't understand why you can't do it. Then when you go to work, the list of things that need to be completed continues to pile up and your boss just don't understand why you can't finish it. Then you have your friends that pile on their problems, whether it's their family, job or other friends. You still can't find that happiness.

Your happiness is there, believe me. It's buried underneath that pile of to-do list of family needs, work issues, and that friendship circle. Start digging and throw some of that dirt onto another pile, called "Do it yourself, I can't do it, I am too busy, or could someone else handle this I am overwhelmed." This is not a let down, it's a pick me up and after you remove a lot of these items, and you will find that box of happiness, still closed and fresh just like you left it years ago.

Time will not stop and wait on you to find this happiness. But if you don't start taking care of you FIRST, then you won't be able to help anyone later.

Tonight start mapping out a plan to find your happiness and dedicate some time for yourself. You earned it, why not use it.

Have a great evening and start your morning off with the pledge I have adopted: "Today I am going to be happy, FOR ME. I will not overload my plate with other people to-do list. I will learn to say NO without feeling guilt. I will not allow others to push their negative feelings into my space. I will live every moment of my day, thinking of nothing but happy thoughts." That is my pledge to myself.

Every now and then, you will have an uninvited moment of displeasure. But do not let it grow, stop it at its infancy and deal with it. In the end you will be happy and everyone around you will receive the aroma that you have grown to another level and you will see they will respect it.