How Do You Define Happiness?

Last week, I cut my work commute from a one-hour car ride to a seven-minute bike ride. For the last year I lost three hours a day sitting in traffic, $200 a month in gas, and an incalculable amount of my sanity. I’d come home from work too tired to work out, too moody to be cordial to my roommate, and too hungry to actually cook something healthy.  So I made a choice. I had to move.

Now, I have an extra hour in the morning to sip coffee and catch up on some reading before I pedal past all the cars on my two-mile bike ride to work. I used to get home from work at 7 p.m., now I work out and still get home before then. I have time to go to the grocery store and stock my fridge with healthy grub, and most importantly I have time to unwind from my day before hitting the hay. Things I didn't think were related to the stresses of my commute I now have more control of: I no longer have that painful knot in my upper back, and the mysterious blister–cold sore thing on my lip that I have been trying to get rid of for months is suddenly gone! Best of all, I’m not as irritable anymore, and I can feel myself smiling more often.

Big changes are never easy. But my big change has actually brought simplicity. And for me, simplicity has meant happiness. No, I'm not walking around hugging everyone (yet) and sure, I'm not going to be 100 percent happy every day—some days I’ll be sad and upset for no apparent reason, but that’s normal. At least now I feel like I have some sense of control over how I spend my time.  I’m proud of myself for actively seeking to solve my problems instead of just complaining about them.

Have you made any big decisions recently to improve your overall happiness and wellness?