Carlotta

I’ve often heard that happiness is an inside job, and, much of the time, I can be as happy as I decide to be. Yet I’ve often found happiness fleeting. I know it’s unrealistic to expect to be happy all the time, but I think I might achieve this goal much more often if I made firmer commitment to my decision to be happy. Instead, I choose happiness and then abandon my choice at the first sign of trouble. How deep can my commitment be if I allow even slight obstacles to rob me of my sense of well-being? Commitment takes work; it is a discipline. When I make a decision, I must ask myself what I really want and if I am willing to work for it. Old habits are hard to break. If I have a long-standing habit of responding to problems by feeling like a helpless victim, it may not be easy to stand by my decision to be happy. A change of attitude sometimes helps: Perhaps I can look at problems as opportunities to commit more deeply to my choices. In other words, every obstacle can prompt me to assert that I really mean it—I do want to be happy.

Shellcrusher

In my line of work, we study the old brain. The reptilian brain.
Many times I've read that people, by design/instinct, will seek avoidance of pain before they seek pleasure.

I've found that knowing this, doesn't mean it's easier for me to seek pleasure. I also want to be happy and it's very hard for me to smile at anyone and say hello. I do try and on the rare occasion that I succeed, I actually feel...happy.