When we are faced with difficult times in our lives it is so important to remember that there is a lesson to be learned and a blessing that ultimately comes out of every one. It is a choice to see and recognize those blessons, which can be a truly vital decision on our happiness journey.

When someone tries to insult us or make us feel badly about ourselves, it is so important to consider the source of the slings so we can make an informed choice about whether we choose to let their negativity permeate our minds, hearts, and souls. This can be a vital tool in choosing happiness for ourselves.

It's so important to pay attention and be aware of the opportunities that life presents to us. When we find ourselves with a brass ring within reach, we need to grab it and make the most of whatever opportunity it is. Life is short - and if you get to be on tv for some reason, take the curlers out of your head!

Hope is a necessary thing for a happy life. However, there are some rare times when we need to assess what we've been hoping for, and make the decision to possibly deflate a balloon of hope in one area, to make room to inflate a different hope balloon that will ultimately be better and more satisfying for ourselves.

Too often we can get stuck in a place of not asking for what we need because we don't have the courage or we believe that our needs aren't as important as someone else's. That is simply not true! No one else's dreams or desires are more valuable than our own, and we deserve to stand up for ourselves and demand respect from others. Always.

So often we feel like we have to put ourselves down in order to get something done. But that doesn't work! What works for lasting success is encouragement and optimism, and if we change the voices in our heads to positive ones, there's no limit to what we can accomplish and how great we can feel while we're achieving our goals.

When we worry, we are tricked into believing that we are actually doing something productive to help the worrisome situation. But the reality is, worrying has never changed the outcome of anything, nor has it ever prevented something bad from happening. It's hard to train our brains to not worry about things, but here are some ideas to help preserve our happiness when worry comes knocking at the door.

People we encounter in our lives will often say or do things in an attempt to take our happiness away. Unhappy people can't stand to see other people experience joy and it makes them feel better to try to steal it. In these times we need to not allow that to happen, and here are some tools to have in our toolbox for those unfortunate - but often common - situations.

We all hit metaphorical speed bumps on the road of life, but we have to make the choice to not turn them into stop signs or U-turns. Sometimes it can be good to slow down and take the opportunity to assess a situation before continuing forward, always recognizing that we are in control and at the wheel for where we want to go next.

Join me for the latest episode of the Choose Happiness Powerful Women Interview Series, where I had the privilege to talk with Dr. Jerry Anderson, principal of Bloom High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois. She shares some secrets of her phenomenal success including beginning each day focused on possibility, the importance of taking time to stop and breathe when we need to, and how we should never give our power away to anyone else for any reason. She gives spectacular advice on how she makes choosing happiness a priority in her life, and how she is taking the gifts of the past year into a new chapter for her, her family, and her tremendously distinguished and successful career.