# Happiness is a Decision

> Live well and love the life you create!


## Posts

- [Minimalism and Happiness: Less Stuff, More Life](https://happinessisadecision.com/minimalism-and-happiness-less-stuff-more-life/): Minimalism isn’t about living with nothing — it’s about making room for what truly matters. Discover how minimalism and happiness go hand in hand, why “less stuff” can mean “more life,” and how the KonMari approach compares.
- [Screen Time: Freedom for Adults, Boundaries for Kids — Where’s the Balance?](https://happinessisadecision.com/adult-screen-time-balance/): We set screen limits for kids but not for adults. Learn simple habits, tools, and mindful choices to create balance with technology.
- [The Joy of Slow Living in a Fast World](https://happinessisadecision.com/slow-living-in-a-fast-world/): In a world obsessed with speed, slow living offers a powerful antidote. It’s not about giving up ambition but choosing presence, peace, and joy in everyday moments. Discover practical ways to slow down, reduce stress, and rediscover what truly matters.
- [Nature: The Original Antidepressant](https://happinessisadecision.com/nature-original-antidepressant/): Spending time in nature is one of the most powerful—and free—antidepressants we have. Research shows that green and blue spaces reduce stress, lift mood, and restore wellbeing. From biophilia to forest bathing, even 20 minutes outdoors can reset your body and mind, reconnecting you with life’s simple joys.
- [The Science of Happiness: What Researchers Know That We Forget](https://happinessisadecision.com/science-of-happiness/): Happiness isn’t found in flashy upgrades. Research shows it’s built on simple habits—sleep, gratitude, relationships, kindness, and movement. Science proves these everyday choices create lasting joy and resilience.
- [Happiness is Not Positive Thinking (And Why That’s a Good Thing)](https://happinessisadecision.com/happiness-is-not-positive-thinking/): Happiness isn’t about plastering on a smile or forcing “positive vibes only”. Real joy comes from facing life honestly—both the good and the tough. Discover why toxic positivity doesn’t work and how to create authentic happiness that lasts.
- [If You’re Saving Happiness for Later, Read This First](https://happinessisadecision.com/ill-be-happy-when-trap/): We often tell ourselves we’ll be happy “someday” — after the trip, the promotion, or the perfect moment. But what if that day never comes? Discover why waiting robs us of joy, how our brains trick us, and simple ways to start living fully right now.
- [Can AI Help Us Heal?](https://happinessisadecision.com/ai-for-life-coaching-therapy/): Curious about how AI might support your personal growth? This article explores how tools like ChatGPT can be used for self-reflection, gentle coaching, and emotional healing. Plus, download your free AI Prompt Pack filled with powerful questions to help you reflect, reframe, and rise — one prompt at a time.
- [Why Trying to Fix Your Loved One is Exhausting You — and What To Do Instead](https://happinessisadecision.com/how-to-stop-fixing-others/): So many women find themselves caught in the role of “fixer.” Whether it’s a partner battling addiction, a child making reckless choices, a sibling who’s chronically broke, or a friend whose relationships are always in tatters — we pour our energy, time, and even money into trying to solve their problems.
- [What’s Holding You Back? How to Uncover and Transform the Beliefs Blocking Your Goals](https://happinessisadecision.com/clear-limiting-beliefs/): What if the real block to your goals isn’t what you’re doing—but what you’re unconsciously believing? In this post, you’ll uncover the internal scripts shaping your results, then rewire them into empowering beliefs aligned with who you’re becoming. Includes a free worksheet to guide your shift.
- [Letting Sadness In: The Unexpected Path to True Happiness](https://happinessisadecision.com/letting-sadness-in-path-to-happiness/): We tend to treat sadness like an uninvited guest — something to push away, hide, or avoid altogether. But what if sadness isn’t the enemy of happiness, but part of the way to it?
- [The Think, Feel, Act Cycle - A Deep Dive on Thoughts](https://happinessisadecision.com/the-think-feel-act-cycle-thoughts/): The Think, Feel, Act Cycle, also known as the self-coaching model developed by Brooke Castillo, consists of five key components: circumstances, thoughts, feelings, actions, and results. It emphasizes that our thoughts, not external circumstances, determine our experiences. By becoming aware of and changing our thoughts, we can transform our emotions, behaviors, and outcomes, leading to a more positive life.
- [What is life coaching?](https://happinessisadecision.com/what-is-life-coaching/): A Life Coach gives people confidence and the ability to move forward in a positive manner in the areas of their life where they crave change.
- [Presence](https://happinessisadecision.com/presence/): We spend so much of our time wanting to be somewhere else and absent from where we are right now. So many of our thoughts are either in the past, mulling over what has happened, regretting or trying to re-write the past. Or, our thoughts are focused on the future worrying about stuff still to happen and meeting our troubles halfway. We are missing out on the gift of the present.
- [Help! The Internet says that I’m a controlling woman.](https://happinessisadecision.com/help-i-am-a-controlling-woman/): OK. So yesterday I ran face-first into an ugly truth about myself. Truthfully, I was actually guided to the realisation by someone close to me and I thank them for it. I hope. Well. Yes. I thank them for pointing out a huge area of potential growth for me but I am a bit annoyed that it may give them an (undeserved) opportunity to feel smug and righteous. Defensive? Who me? 
- [How to help people who have experienced tragedy](https://happinessisadecision.com/how-to-help-people-who-have-experienced-tragedy/): A tragedy is something that hopefully only occurs rarely or not at all in our lives or the lives of our loved ones. However, there are times when tragedy strikes close to home and we need to be there to support our loved ones. With so little experience at dealing with tragedy, thank goodness, there is little wonder that we may not know what to do or say to help when faced with it. 
- [Are Men Happier Than Women?](https://happinessisadecision.com/are-men-happier-than-women/): As the new year ticked over I was delivered a report detailing different statistics about visitors to my website over the past 12 months. One of the most surprising metrics I read was ....
- [The K.I.S.S. Method for Goal Setting](https://happinessisadecision.com/the-k-i-s-s-method-for-goal-setting/): As we enter a new calendar year many of us take the opportunity to review the past year and set some goals for the year ahead. The internet and social media are filled with offers of free and paid goal setting systems and courses and links to the newest planner or journaling method to assure success in keeping our new year’s resolutions this time even though we may have failed in the past. 
- [My 20 for 2020](https://happinessisadecision.com/my-20-for-2020/): Yesterday I finally completed writing my 20 for 2020. This is a list of things I want to do in 2020 but they are not a list of goals as such. The 20 for 2020 list is a list of activities aside from my goals that I want to get done during the year ahead.  I’ve been hearing about this type of list on a podcast I listen to, Happier with Gretchin Rubin. Gretchen and her sister, Liz, have done an 18 for 2018 and a 19 for 2019 and have recently shared their 20 for 2020. So on Boxing […]
- [My ‘Word’ for 2020](https://happinessisadecision.com/my-word-for-2020/): As I sat down to write this I was thinking about what my word for 2020 was going to be, and by the time I had written, ‘Thinking about my word for 2020,’ it had come to me. Of course, it is going to be ‘vision,’ and I don’t think I’m going to be a pioneer choosing that one.  Now, for those of you wondering just what the heck I am talking about, having a word for the year is like choosing a theme for the year ahead. It can be a word that reminds you of something that you […]
- [Chasing Heaven](https://happinessisadecision.com/chasing-heaven/): There was once a beautiful and slightly righteous angel living in Heaven. He was very gifted and amazing in just about every way but he struggled a bit with compassion and empathy. He simply couldn’t understand why some humans found it so hard to do the right thing and follow the rules. 
- [When Someone You Love Has an Addiction](https://happinessisadecision.com/when-someone-you-love-has-an-addiction/): Loving an addict in any capacity can be one of the loneliest places in the world.
- [The Think, Feel, Act Cycle - A Deep Dive on Circumstances](https://happinessisadecision.com/the-think-feel-act-cycle-circumstances/): Many of us get hung up on our circumstances. We blame them for our unhappiness or the reason why we are not at a point in our life where we would prefer to be. We say things like, it is because of my upbringing, or, my parents didn’t raise me right, or, it’s my genetics. We may blame our job, or lack of, our boss, our peer group, any number of things. But ...
- [How Mindfulness Can Help Our Relationships](https://happinessisadecision.com/how-mindfulness-can-help-our-relationships/): There’s an old saying, ‘Falling in love is easy, staying in love, that’s the real work.’ From a young age, we are conditioned with an ideal image of love and all that it entails.  Mindfulness, or being mindful can help us to create and maintain strong relationships with our loved ones. 
- [Mindfulness](https://happinessisadecision.com/mindfulness/): Mindfulness is described as maintaining a moment by moment awareness of our thoughts and feelings, our physical sensations and the environment around us. So often we are caught up in thoughts of things that have happened in the past or things we are planning or have yet to do, that we do not give our attention to what is happening right now in the present moment. 
- [Life feels busier the older I get](https://happinessisadecision.com/life-feels-busier-the-older-i-get/): I’m sure that I’m much busier today than I ever was but that doesn’t seem logical.  Is it all in the mind? Is it just my perspective from an older mind? Have I slowed down that much that I just feel busier these days? 
- [A letter from your future self](https://happinessisadecision.com/a-letter-from-your-future-self/): Imagine checking your mail and amongst the usual bills and advertising material finding a letter addressed to you written in very familiar handwriting, your own. But you have no recollection of ever addressing this particular envelope. 
- [What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.](https://happinessisadecision.com/what-you-get-by-achieving-your-goals-is-not-as-important-as-what-you-become-by-achieving-your-goals/): There is so much promise in this statement. It is so inspirational that not only can your goals be achieved, but in getting there, you'll become a better person. And on reading it we know it’s true. 
- [Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye. Helen Keller](https://happinessisadecision.com/never-bend-your-head-always-hold-it-high-look-the-world-straight-in-the-eye-helen-keller/): Helen Keller's whole life is an inspiration to us all. This woman with so much going against her achieved so much. Much more in fact than the majority of ‘normal’ able-bodied people. She often spoke of how much she loved life and how grateful she was for her abilities. She firmly believed that helping others was man’s purpose in life and that service to others was the secret to lasting happiness. 
- [There is nothing to fear except fear itself](https://happinessisadecision.com/there-is-nothing-to-fear-except-fear-itself/): As we’ve learned from the last post about The Think, Feel, Act Cycle, all situations or circumstances are totally neutral until we start to think about them and create judgements about them. If something about a circumstance brings up fear in us that will often be more about us than the actual circumstance.
- [The Think-Feel-Act Cycle: How to Coach Yourself to Be Happier](https://happinessisadecision.com/think-feel-act-cycle-happiness/): The Think, Feel, Act Cycle is a framework that we can use to understand how and why we feel the way we do. And, it’s also a tool that we can use to change the way we think and act and be happier.
- [Natural ways to fight back when depression steals your happiness](https://happinessisadecision.com/fight-depression-naturally/): Depression is when you’re feeling really down and that everything feels totally hopeless.  The good news is that depression can be overcome.
- [Negativity Is Not Your Fault.](https://happinessisadecision.com/negativity-is-not-your-fault/): I learned something fascinating this week. A fact that was both fascinating and empowering and also left me with a sense of relief. Negativity is not our fault. Our brains are wired to see the worst in any situation and prepare us to fight or flee. But we can train our brains to be positive instead.
- [Can you change your life with positive affirmations?](https://happinessisadecision.com/can-you-change-your-life-with-positive-affirmations/): Yes, I believe you can. But, and there are quite a few buts, you can’t outright lie to your subconscious. 
- [Setting and reviewing my goals.](https://happinessisadecision.com/setting-and-reviewing-my-goals/): 12 weeks ago I sat down and wrote out my goals of what I wanted to have achieved by the end of June this year. Yesterday I sat down and reviewed those goals - sadly, I hadn’t achieved a single one. 
- [Can you be not very happy but be happy to be?](https://happinessisadecision.com/can-you-be-not-very-happy-but-be-happy-to-be/): Happiness is a decision. This statement has been whirling around my head for months now. When I first read it I thought hell yeah! I read some great articles and quotes on the website and believed that this statement was bang on. Then I started thinking about this on many levels. And then I thought can you be not very happy but be happy to be?
- [The Science of Positive Affirmations.](https://happinessisadecision.com/the-science-of-positive-affirmations/): There is now definitive science that supports the idea that reading and saying positive statements, or affirmations, can help us to be happier.
- [Is happiness just a decision?](https://happinessisadecision.com/is-happiness-just-a-decision/): It sounds so simple. If it were just that simple then why isn't everyone happy?  All of the time? Simple, but not easy. We can change our inner voice from being judgemental and grumpy us to being open and positive. It just takes practice and time and, yes, a bit of self-discipline.  
- [How do we define happiness?](https://happinessisadecision.com/how-do-we-define-happiness/): Happiness is the evaluation that your goals are being satisfied. This is interesting. It accounts for why happiness is defined differently for each person, as we all have different goals and aspirations. It also suggests that it is linked to a person’s expectations. And this is where we can truly make a difference and influence our own happiness. 
- [What is happiness?](https://happinessisadecision.com/what-is-happiness/): A Google search, ‘what is happiness?’ brings up results that show that the answer to this question has stretched the brains of many over time and still defines a single definition.
- [Three different ways to start a daily gratitude practice - and how it helps.](https://happinessisadecision.com/three-different-ways-to-start-a-daily-gratitude-practice-and-how-it-helps/): Starting a daily gratitude practice can change your life. Science has shown that changing the way you perceive the world around you will actually change your experience of life.
- [Do something positive instead of worrying. Action is the antidote for anxiety.](https://happinessisadecision.com/antidote-for-anxiety/): I have always found that taking some sort of positive step, even the tiniest one, towards the problem can help lower my anxiety level. Doing something, even if it is just writing down a list of possible actions, gives me comfort in that I am actually doing something to solve the problem or prevent it from happening.
- [12 Date Ideas to Connect or Re-connect With Your Partner](https://happinessisadecision.com/12-date-ideas-to-connect-or-re-connect-with-your-partner/): Sometimes couples can get in a bit of a rut. Our busy lives can interfere with our relationships and we end up not spending quality time together. It’s all about work, family, bills, getting dinner ready, getting the washing done, getting the kids to their activities and on and on. If we don’t make an extra special effort to create some couple time we risk becoming disconnected from each other bit by bit and disconnection can be a relationship killer. Here are 12 Date Ideas to help build a connection or re-build the connection if needed.  To download these in […]
- [8 Reasons why I have learned to embrace change.](https://happinessisadecision.com/8-reasons-why-i-have-learned-to-embrace-change/): This last couple of weeks have had a fair share of upheaval and it has got me thinking about how I cope with change.
- [Being a good listener](https://happinessisadecision.com/being-a-good-listener/): Why is it easier to solve someone else’s problems than it is to even think about our own?  And, why are people always offering solutions to the problems of others instead of just listening and being a sympathetic ear?
- [Anxiety First Aid - Box Breathing](https://happinessisadecision.com/anxiety-first-aid-box-breathing/): Learn a technique which can help the body calm down and reduce the symptoms of anxiety in just a few minutes. So in effect, first aid for anxiety. This technique is called Box Breathing.
- [My gratitude miracle #1](https://happinessisadecision.com/my-gratitude-miracle-1/): Yes, that’s right. My gratitude miracle number 1. I am a recent convert to gratitude. But since I have come around and changed my outlook on life miracles keep happening.
- [The secret to a long marriage](https://happinessisadecision.com/the-secret-to-a-long-marriage/): My husband and I have been married for so long that I had to use a calculator to confirm the number. True. We’ve been married 33 years as of this September. 
- [Life brings you more of what you expect - The Princess Effect](https://happinessisadecision.com/the-princess-effect/): Life brings you more of what you expect. These words are why I have come to appreciate and respect the ‘Princesses’ in our midst.
- [Happiness is a decision](https://happinessisadecision.com/happiness-is-a-decision/): Happiness is a decision. Those were the powerful words given to me one night long ago while I was in the midst of my own despair. That was 26 years ago. The words just came into my head and I have been both railing against them and evangelising them ever since.

## Pages

- [I look forward to speaking with you soon.](https://happinessisadecision.com/i-look-forward-to-speaking-with-you-soon/): Thank you for booking your 30-minute discovery call with me.  I am looking forward to hearing about you and your life’s vision when we chat. On this page, you can find more information about our life coaching and some resources and links that can help you get a clear idea of where you are right now in your journey and help you to determine your priorities for improvement. It may really help if you complete at least some of these exercises prior to our discovery call. Wheel of Life Exercise The Wheel of Life Exercise really helps you to determine […]
- [Terms & Conditions](https://happinessisadecision.com/terms-conditions/): Overview This website is operated by happinessisadecision.com. Throughout the site, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to happinessisadecision.com. happinessisadecision.com offers this website, including all information, tools and services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies and notices stated here. By visiting our site and/ or purchasing something from us, you engage in our “Service” and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms and Conditions”, “Terms”), including those additional terms and conditions and policies referenced herein and/or available by hyperlink. These Terms and Conditions apply to […]
- [Work With Me](https://happinessisadecision.com/work-with-me/): Coaching Packages Book a free discovery call to discuss the package best suited to you or how we might tailor a package to suit your individual needs.  [products limit=”6″ columns=”3″] Frequently Asked Questions What is coaching? A Life Coach gives people confidence and the ability to move forward in a positive manner in the areas of their life where they crave change. Life Coaching is about breaking down the barriers, which prevent this change from happening and creating the ideal environment for positive action to take place. It is a totally holistic approach which looks at the present and sets goals […]
- [My account](https://happinessisadecision.com/my-account-2/): [woocommerce_my_account]
- [Home](https://happinessisadecision.com/home-2/): For a happier and more empowered life Life & Empowerment Coach Megan Ruffino Imagine how it would feel to work with someone who is 100% on your side helping you to bring YOUR vision of the life you really want to reality.  When you work with me that’s what you’ll get. I’ll help you and challenge you to reach for what you really want. I’ll help you to find and dig out those negative beliefs that are currently limiting your idea of what’s possible for your life. As your coach, I will then help you to get clarity and to […]
- [Contact](https://happinessisadecision.com/contact/): About Megan Ruffino Born in the transformative era of the 1960s, Megan Ruffino is an Aussie–New Zealander with a curious heart and a deep commitment to growth. She wears many hats—daughter, sister, friend, mother, grandmother, maker, traveller, blogger, and coach—and she brings her whole self to each role. Megan is a life coach who supports women navigating the emotional complexities of loving someone with an addiction. Her compassionate, grounded approach creates space for clarity, healing, and personal empowerment. Her life is a rich tapestry of experiences, woven with freedom, joy, and self-discovery. Whether she’s solo road-tripping around Australia in her […]
- [12 Date Ideas Download](https://happinessisadecision.com/12-date-ideas-download/): Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list. Click the image below to download the 12 Date Ideas to Connect/Re-Connect With Your Partner PDF
- [Thank you for subscribing](https://happinessisadecision.com/thank-you-for-subscribing/): I hope to bring you ideas about how we can enjoy greater happiness along with resources and inspiration to help you put the ideas into action. In doing so, I hope to remind myself most of all. This site contains affiliate links. This means that if you buy anything via a link on this site then I may earn a commission from your sale. I only promote products that I believe in and that I believe could help you too. I thank you for your support. When you join the mailing list I promise that your email address is secure. I […]
- [Thank you](https://happinessisadecision.com/thank-you-pdf-1/): Here is your free Box Breathing PDF download Click the download link below to download our free Box Breathing PDF. This handy one-page reminder can be saved, printed or shared easily so you have the reminder close at hand when you need it.
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- [Sample Page](https://happinessisadecision.com/sample-page/): This is an example page. It’s different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this: Hi there! I’m a bike messenger by day, aspiring actor by night, and this is my website. I live in Los Angeles, have a great dog named Jack, and I like piña coladas. (And gettin’ caught in the rain.) …or something like this: The XYZ Doohickey Company was founded in 1971, […]
- [Shop](https://happinessisadecision.com/shop/): The maximum weight for international shipping is 2kg.All prices are in AU$ excluding GST (10%).
- [Left Sidebar](https://happinessisadecision.com/left-sidebar/): The style guide provides you with a blueprint of Paperback’s default post and page styles. The style guide is also a great reference for suggested typographic treatment and styles for your content. Right Aligned Image Images may be two-dimensional, such as a photograph, screen display, and as well as a three-dimensional, such as a statue or hologram. They may be captured by optical devices – such as cameras, mirrors, lenses, telescopes, microscopes, etc. and natural objects and phenomena, such as the human eye or water surfaces. The word image is also used in the broader sense of any two-dimensional figure such […]
- [Full Width](https://happinessisadecision.com/full-width/): The style guide provides you with a blueprint of Paperback’s default post and page styles. The style guide is also a great reference for suggested typographic treatment and styles for your content. Right Aligned Image Images may be two-dimensional, such as a photograph, screen display, and as well as a three-dimensional, such as a statue or hologram. They may be captured by optical devices – such as cameras, mirrors, lenses, telescopes, microscopes, etc. and natural objects and phenomena, such as the human eye or water surfaces. The word image is also used in the broader sense of any two-dimensional figure such […]
- [Resources](https://happinessisadecision.com/resources/): Full disclosure; I earn a small affiliate commission if you purchase some of these products via my links. I only recommend products and resources that I believe in and I appreciate your support. Thank you. Books I love and recommend   The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. An entertaining book detailing Gretchen Rubin’s year-long experiment to discover how to create true happiness. Drawing on cutting-edge science, classical philosophy, and real-world examples, Rubin delivers an engaging, eminently relatable chronicle of transformation. This special 10th Anniversary edition features a Conversation with Gretchen Rubin, Happiness Project Stories, a guide to creating your own happiness […]
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