Happiness is a choice The idea of “just be happy” is an over-simplification; gratitude and happiness are daily practices. It’s as simple as making a conscious decision to counter our negativity bias by paying attention to the good moments in our lives - like loved ones who care about us, access to nutritious food, or a stranger lending a helping hand. We can choose to notice the good that we already have in our lives, even though, (and especially when) things may be going differently than we had hoped.