Do whatever sets your soul on fire

Whether your idea of excitement is jumping off an airplane, cooking up exotic dishes, playing music in a band, or merely staying at home reading a gripping book, you should do whatever lights up your soul.

Life is too short to set our passions aside for a rainy day. Do them today. Do them now!

Focusing on those things we love to do not only makes us happier, it keeps us from dwelling on the negative. Believe it or not, directing one's attention to something positive (e.g., a funny meme or an inspiring video) over the course of the day can make the difference between a decent day and an abysmal one. Distractions can be our friends.

Those who insist they don't have the time to cultivate their passions are just making excuses for themselves. We can all squeeze in a little time for hobbies, even if only a few minutes each week.

We all have our problems and worries, and, as much as we'd like to, we can't just sweep them under the rug.

Still, we can't allow them to consume us. Otherwise, we prevent ourselves from savoring all the good things life brings.

Whenever you're feeling down or as though your life needs something of a jolt, shift your attention to something that makes you smile -- whether it's that old car in your garage you love tinkering with, your adorable German Shepherd, fantasy football, or your verdant garden.

Happiness is a state of mind. It depends not so much on outward circumstances, but on how you look at things.

It's up to you to decide whether today sucks because you have a flat tire and argued with your boss, or if it's still a great day because you are alive, have a car, and hold a good job.

Happiness is largely a matter of perspective. We can choose to see the glass as half empty or half full. With the latter, we adopt a posture of gratitude, realizing that, despite our hardships, we're far more fortunate than other people in the world.

That being said, if doing certain things makes us happy, why shelve them just because there are aspects of our life are far from perfect?

Learn, grow, and explore as much as you can. Maybe you have the talent to be a terrific dancer, carpenter, or cook and you don't even know it yet!

That's the beauty of life -- we can continually try new things, in the process opening the door to novel experiences and, in turn, helping us create special memories.

Live your life in such a way that when it's time to go, you can comfortably say that you truly made the most of it.

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