Happiness

Verse 1
They say I’m born with half my happiness
Written in my bones, in the shadows and the stress
In the hands of fortune and weather
Highs and lows that don’t last forever
But there’s a quiet piece they can’t assign
A wide open field that’s forty percent mine

Pre-Chorus
I can’t change the wind or where I begin
But I can lean toward the light and let it in

Chorus
Half my happiness is written, but the rest is in my hands
In the way I love, in the way I stand
In the roads I choose when the signs aren’t clear
In the small brave steps that I take from here
I may bend, I may break, I may fall back in line
But half my happiness is mine

Verse 2
Some days it’s a quick bright spark on my tongue
Hedonic little moments where the song’s just begun
Some days it runs deeper, in work that feels right
Like I’m part of a story that steadies my life
And sometimes it’s standing on a hill at night
Asking, “All in all, does this life feel light?”

Pre-Chorus
Three ways of weighing the same old sky
Right now, deeper down, and from way up high

Chorus
Half my happiness is written, but the rest is in my hands
In the way I love, in the way I stand
In the roads I choose when the signs aren’t clear
In the small brave steps that I take from here
I may bend, I may break, I may fall back in line
But half my happiness is mine

Bridge
Freedom to choose, to show up, to care
To build good work and the friendships we share
Trust and kindness, purpose and time
Little daily choices that grow my peace of mind
I can’t hold the past, can’t redraw the design
But I can shape this part of my happiness that’s mine

Chorus
Half my happiness is written, but the rest is in my hands
In the way I love, in the way I stand
In the roads I choose when the view’s not clear
In the quiet decisions that I make this year
I may bend, I may break, I may fall back in line
But half my happiness is mine
Yeah, But half my happiness is mine

Verse 1
I used to think that happiness
Meant never feeling low
So every tear and heavy night
Felt like I’d lost my glow
But storms don’t mean the sky is wrong
They’re how the rivers rise
Now I can see those darker days
Put courage in my eyes

Chorus
I don’t have to be happy all the time
To live a life that really feels like mine
The bad days give the brighter ones their light
They build my strength when I get through the night
I can bend and I can stumble on the climb
I don’t have to be happy all the time

Verse 2
When worry starts to circle in
And fear gets loud and wide
I name it, feel it, breathe it out
Make space for truth inside
Negative emotions don’t
Mean that I am weak
They’re guiding signs that help me find
The courage that I seek

Chorus
I don’t have to be happy all the time
To live a life that really feels like mine
Happiness is cherishing the good I’ve had
And learning how to cope when things turn bad
Every time I manage, I’m refining my design
I don’t have to be happy all the time

Bridge
These trials teach me how to stand
More grounded in my skin
Each time I cope with what life brings
My faith in me steps in
Stronger than I thought I was
More able than I knew
These ups and downs are how I build
A braver point of view

Chorus
I don’t have to be happy all the time
To live a life that really feels like mine
The contrast makes the colors of joy bright
The struggle gives my victories their height
I’ll take the whole wide weather of this life and call it mine
I don’t have to be happy all the time

Verse 1
Some call it joy, some call it peace
Every culture’s got a word for what it means to be at ease
But wherever you travel, one thing rings true
Happiness grows in the space between me and you

Chorus
Happiness lives in how we live together
In the friends we can count on through any kind of weather
In a helping hand and a shared endeavour
Happiness lives in how we live together

Verse 2
Supportive conversations, a neighbour at the door
A sense that you are welcome, that you matter, that you’re heard
Belonging to a circle, a town, a crew
That’s where life feels meaningful in everything we do

Chorus
Happiness lives in how we live together
In the friends we can count on through any kind of weather
In a helping hand and a shared endeavour
Happiness lives in how we live together

Verse 3
In the way we belong to our place and our people
Care for the land and treat each other as equal
Community, kindness, giving to each other
Happiness lives in how we live together

Chorus
Happiness lives in how we live together
In the friends we can count on through any kind of weather
In a helping hand and a shared endeavour
Happiness lives in how we live together

Bridge
When we teach our kids to care for the earth
To stand by each other and to know their worth
When we show by example what it means to give back
We build a kind of joy no money can track

Verse 4
Time out in nature, working side by side
Looking after forests, rivers, hills and sky
The more we serve our home, the more at home we feel
That’s the kind of happiness that’s honest, strong and real

Chorus
Happiness lives in how we live together
In the friends we can count on through any kind of weather
In a helping hand and a shared endeavour
Happiness lives in how we live together

Verse 1
I don’t just want to get by
Dragging through another day
I want to feel my life get brighter
In the choices that I make
Vitality in my body
Good emotions in my chest
Deep engagement, strong relationships
A sense of meaning in my steps

Pre-Chorus
It’s not about a perfect plan
It’s what I practice with my own two hands

Chorus
I’m learning how to flourish, not just how to survive
Raising up my happiness by how I live my life
Gratitude, kindness and goals that feel true
Using my strengths in the work that I do
Through all these little habits that I choose each day
I’m learning how to flourish in my own wild way

Verse 2
I write down what I’m grateful for
To train my heart to see
I practice honest optimism
About what my life can be
I savour little moments
Let them linger, let them stay
I show up for my people
In a real and steady way

Pre-Chorus
It’s thoughts and actions, feeling too
Tiny shifts that change my view

Chorus
I’m learning how to flourish, not just how to survive
Raising up my happiness by how I live my life
Gratitude, kindness and goals that feel true
Using my strengths in the work that I do
Through all these little habits that I choose each day
I’m learning how to flourish in my own wild way

Bridge
Random acts of kindness
Moving my body strong
Finding flow in what I’m doing
Losing track of time in song
Letting go of overthinking
And the endless “who’s ahead”
Forgiving what I can’t change
And dreaming what’s ahead

Set a goal, make a plan
Take one step, do what I can

Chorus
I’m learning how to flourish, not just how to survive
Raising up my happiness by how I live my life
Gratitude, kindness and goals that feel true
Using my strengths in the work that I do
Through all these little habits that I choose each day
I’m learning how to flourish in my own wild way

Verse 1
There’s a voice that says, “Why bother?
Nothing’s gonna change.”
Every time I start to try
It pulls me back again.
That’s learned helplessness talking,
But now I see the lie
Every little step I take
Proves I can still try.

Chorus
Thieves of my happiness
Whisper in my head,
But when I see them clearly
They start to lose their strength instead.

Verse 2
My mind clings to the moments
Where it hurt the most,
Replaying every failure
Like a haunted host.
That old negative bias
Kept my body safe before,
But now I choose to balance it
By counting what went right even more.

Chorus
Thieves of my happiness
Whisper in my head,
But when I see them clearly
They start to lose their strength instead.

Verse 3
I scroll and start comparing,
And my joy runs thin,
Like everyone is miles ahead
And I can’t ever win.
But comparison is the robber,
And I won’t leave the door open wide
I turn envy into inspiration
And let their progress cheer me on inside.

Bridge
Thoughts turn into beliefs,
Beliefs guide what I do;
If I choose a kinder story,
I shape a kinder truth.

Chorus
Thieves of my happiness
Whisper in my head,
But with a little self-awareness
I walk a different path instead.

Verse 1
My mind can be a wild horse
Running hard the wrong way,
Chasing every what-if
Till it steals my day.
But I can take the reins back,
Look at what is true,
Ask if this old story
Still deserves to rule.

Chorus
When the worries rise, I’ll handle it,
Take a breath, step back, and dismantle it.
Once I see the thought, I get to ask if it’s legit
If it’s not, I’ll change it, I’ll handle it.

Verse 2
Pushing down my feelings
Is like holding back a tide,
Like shoving down a loaded ball
That’s bound to pop and fly.
So I’ll let the fear surface,
Name it where it stands,
Then look for better evidence
With open, steady hands.

Chorus
When the worries rise, I’ll handle it,
Take a breath, step back, and dismantle it.
Once I see the thought, I get to ask if it’s legit
If it’s not, I’ll change it, I’ll handle it.

Verse 3
I’ve carved some tired pathways
With words that tear me down,
But I can lay new tracks tonight
With gentler thoughts I’ve found.
Mistakes become my teachers,
Not proof that I should quit,
I’ll focus on what I did right
And keep on learning from it.

Bridge
I don’t have to trust
Every voice inside my head,
I can sort the truth
From the stories built on dread.
I’ll come back to my breathing,
To the ground beneath my feet,
And choose the next kind thought
Each time my heart beats.

Chorus
When the worries rise, I’ll handle it,
Take a breath, step back, and dismantle it.
Once I see the thought, I get to ask if it’s legit
If it’s not, I’ll change it, I’ll handle it.

Verse 1
I used to think that happiness
Was something I could find alone,
A finish line I’d cross one day
By working hard on my own.
But the days that feel the brightest
Aren’t when I stand apart,
They’re coffee on the porch with you
And the quiet of your heart.

Chorus
Other people matter, I feel it in my bones
My heartbeat changes when I know I’m not alone
Every laugh, every touch, every “hey, I’m here for you”
Other people matter, they turn my grey sky blue

Verse 2
There’s a kind of steady chemistry
When your hand reaches mine,
My breathing slows, my shoulders drop,
My thoughts all fall in line.
Call it oxytocin comfort,
Call it dopamine delight,
It’s just my body saying
“These connections make it right.”

Chorus
Other people matter, I feel it in my bones
My heartbeat changes when I know I’m not alone
Every laugh, every touch, every “hey, I’m here for you”
Other people matter, they turn my grey sky blue

Verse 3
When I give a little extra,
Show up when times are rough,
It circles back like sunlight
When the morning’s not enough.
Altruistic moments
Fill my heart and clear my head,
What I spend on being kind
Comes back in joy instead.

Bridge
Five good friends I trust with my tears,
That’s worth more than crowds that disappear.
Trust over numbers, depth over show,
Being fully myself with the ones who know.

Chorus
Other people matter, I feel it in my bones
My heartbeat changes when I know I’m not alone
Every laugh, every touch, every “hey, I’m here for you”
Other people matter, they turn my grey sky blue

Verse 1
Some days start with thunder
Rolling in my chest,
Worries at the doorway
Saying, “You’re a mess.”
But I don’t have to fake it,
Don’t have to push it down,
I can feel the feeling,
Then turn my gaze around.

Chorus
I’m gonna count every little light,
Every small good thing that’s shining in my life.
I can hold the heavy and still lift my eyes,
Let the good grow bigger, let the dark get rightsized.
I’m gonna count every little light,
That’s how I make my happiness feel bright.

Verse 2
I write a line of gratitude
On the back of yesterday,
Tiny notes of “thank you”
For the simple, quiet ways.
The more I stop and savour
How a good moment feels,
The longer it will linger,
The deeper it turns real.

Chorus
I’m gonna count every little light,
Every small good thing that’s shining in my life.
I can hold the heavy and still lift my eyes,
Let the good grow bigger, let the dark get rightsized.
I’m gonna count every little light,
That’s how I make my happiness feel bright.

Bridge
Some folks say they’re lucky,
And it seems the world agrees,
But really they’re just looking
Where the blessings like to be.
So I’ll call myself a lucky one,
And watch what starts to change,
The more I look for kindness,
The more it knows my name.

Verse 3
A smile on a Monday
Can turn the whole day ‘round,
My own face is the switch that
Lifts the energy in town.
It softens up my breathing,
It spreads from me to you,
One small grin can start a chain
Of betterfeeling truth.

Chorus
I’m gonna count every little light,
Every small good thing that’s shining in my life.
I can feel the heartache and still choose what I see,
Give the good a louder voice inside of me.
I’m gonna count every little light,
Step by step, I build a softer, stronger life,
Yeah, I’m gonna count every little light.

Verse 1
I’ve carried quiet wishes
Like notes I never played,
Dreams I kept for “someday”
That never made the day.
But goals give shape to who I am,
They focus heart and mind,
Turn a drifting kind of hope
Into a clearer line.

Chorus
Step by step, I walk my dreams to life,
Not just waiting for the day it all feels right.
Grateful for the ground I’m standing on today,
Growing toward tomorrow in a steady, honest way.
I don’t have to rush or prove my worth to time,
Step by step is how I let my happiness align.

Verse 2
When I choose my own direction,
Not just do what I “should,”
Stress turns into energy
For something that feels good.
Health, work, love, and learning,
I don’t want to live “what if,”
An unfulfilled old dream
Is a heavy kind of gift.

Chorus
Step by step, I walk my dreams to life,
Not just waiting for the day it all feels right.
Grateful for the ground I’m standing on today,
Growing toward tomorrow in a steady, honest way.
I don’t have to rush or prove my worth to time,
Step by step is how I let my happiness align.

Bridge
Hope from a place of contentment,
Not from feeling I’m not enough,
Loving what I have right now
While I still reach for new stuff.
I enjoy the road I’m walking,
’Cause I know where it’s headed still,
Let your progress light a fire,
Let their success inspire, not kill.

Verse 3
I write it down, I seal it in,
Leave reminders where I’ll see,
Plan rewards for small wins
So I keep believing me.
Every goal I bring to life
Builds my faith in what I can,
Shows me strength I didn’t know
Was hiding in my hands.

Chorus
Step by step, I walk my dreams to life,
Not just waiting for the day it all feels right.
Grateful for the ground I’m standing on today,
Growing toward tomorrow in a steady, honest way.
I don’t have to rush or prove my worth to time,
Step by step is how I let my happiness align

Verse 1
When my head feels crowded
And my heart is burning out,
Screens and fourwall corners
Fill my days with doubt.
So I follow gravel roadways
’Til the fences fade from view,
Let the forest be the doorway
To remember what is true.

Chorus
I’m nourished by nature, fed by the trees,
By mountains on the skyline and the wild, open breeze.
My mind gets clearer, my shoulders unwind,
Out here in the quiet I can finally find my mind.
Yeah, nature makes me feel better, think better too,
It’s the oldest kind of medicine I ever knew.

Verse 2
Fresh air in a pine stand,
Damp earth beneath my boots,
The forest air is loaded
With the oils from bark and roots.
They guard the trees from sickness,
They guard my body too,
Waking up my tired cells
Like the dawn wakes up the dew.

Chorus
I’m nourished by nature, fed by the trees,
By mountains on the skyline and the wild, open breeze.
My mind gets clearer, my shoulders unwind,
Out here in the quiet I can finally find my mind.
Yeah, nature makes me feel better, think better too,
It’s the oldest kind of medicine I ever knew.

Verse 3
Kids out by the rivers
With mud between their toes,
Learn more from sticks and stone piles
Than a thousand status rows.
Every cliff and canyon moment,
Every storm and starry sky,
Teaches awe and gentle courage
You can’t download or buy.

Bridge
Awe puts my small life
In a bigger, kinder frame,
Makes me softer with my people,
Less concerned with praise or blame.
When I care for hills and rivers,
Pick up trash along the trail,
I feel rooted to this planet
In a way that will not fail.

Chorus
I’m nourished by nature, fed by the trees,
By mountains on the skyline and the wild, open breeze.
My mind gets clearer, my shoulders unwind,
Out here in the quiet I can finally find my mind.
Yeah, nature makes me feel better, think better too,
For my body and my spirit, it’s the best thing I can do
I am nourished by nature, through and through.

Verse 1
What matters most is changing
As the seasons come and go,
But there’s a thread that runs through
Everything I choose to know.
Who I am and what I care for,
How I spend my waking hours,
That’s the quiet kind of meaning
That gives my small life power.

Chorus
I’m gonna live my purpose every day,
Let my choices line up with what my heart would say.
When my values and my actions walk the same road too,
That’s when my life feels honest, kind, and true.

Verse 2
Meaning is the feeling
That my life has weight and worth,
In what I give, in what I learn,
In how I walk this earth.
Hope points me like a compass
To the work I’m meant to try,
When my actions match my purpose
I feel more alive.

Chorus
I’m gonna live my purpose every day,
Let my choices line up with what my heart would say.
When my values and my actions walk the same road too,
That’s when my life feels honest, kind, and true.

Bridge
Creativity is what I give,
Experience is what I gain,
My attitude decides
What I do with joy and pain.
Meaning is a twoway road,
What I offer, what I receive,
It grows when I stay curious
About who I’m meant to be.

Verse 3
Purpose isn’t something
That the world hands down to me,
It’s a quiet central fire
That I uncover as I see.
I can bring it to each role I play,
Whatever job I’m in,
Connect the tasks before me
To the spark I carry within.

Chorus
I’m gonna live my purpose every day,
Let my choices line up with what my heart would say.
When my values and my actions walk the same road too,
That’s when my life feels honest, kind, and true.

Verse 1
I used to chase what looked right from the outside,
Trying on lives that never felt like mine.
But something shifted when I turned my gaze within,
Found quiet sparks of strength I’d never named before in time.

Pre-Chorus
Every time I use what’s strong in me,
The world makes just a little more sense.
I’m not pretending to be someone else,
I’m showing up in my own present tense.

Chorus
I’m gonna grow with the flow,
Find that sweet spot where my real strengths go.
Where challenge meets what I do best,
And time slips by while I’m fully blessed.
When I’m lit up, deep in the zone,
Every small step feels like coming home.
I’m not just going through life for show,
I’m learning how to grow with the flow.

Verse 2
I used to doubt if I could handle all the hills,
But then I matched my mountains to my skills.
Every time I leaned on what I’m wired to do,
The climb felt honest, and my confidence grew.

Pre-Chorus
Now every challenge is a doorway,
Where my strengths get to stand in the light.
I feel more capable, more authentic,
When who I am fits what I do right.

Chorus
I’m gonna grow with the flow,
Find that sweet spot where my real strengths go.
Where challenge meets what I do best,
And time slips by while I’m fully blessed.
When I’m lit up, deep in the zone,
Every small step feels like coming home.
I’m not just going through life for show,
I’m learning how to grow with the flow.

Bridge
In those moments when the world falls away,
And I’m lost in the work in the very best way
No clock, no crowd, just my heart in the task,
That’s when life answers the questions I ask.
Little acts of everyday art,
A fresh idea or a brave new start,
Turn my mood from grey to bright,
Tiny creations waking up my inner light.

Verse 3
So I’ll keep choosing what stretches, not breaks,
The kind of challenge my whole being can take.
’Cause every time effort and meaning align,
I feel more alive in this one short life of mine.

Chorus
I’m gonna grow with the flow,
Find that sweet spot where my real strengths go.
Where challenge meets what I do best,
And time slips by while I’m fully blessed.
When I’m lit up, deep in the zone,
Every small step feels like coming home.
I’m not just going through life for show,
I’m learning how to grow with the flow.

Verse 1
I used to jump at every little spark,
React before I knew what lit the dark.
Restless in my body, running on a loop,
Missing all the goodness right here in the room.

Pre-Chorus
But I’m learning I can pause before I speak,
Take a breath and find the ground beneath my feet.

Chorus
In the space between the trigger and my choice,
I can calm my breathing, I can find my voice.
When I give my thoughts a moment to slow down,
I can think with clarity, stand my solid ground.
In the space between what happens and what I do,
I can act with honesty and stay true.

Verse 2
Stillness is a doorway, not a waste of time,
Quiet brings awareness, puts my mind in line.
When I watch my feelings come and let them go again,
I don’t have to be a victim of the storm within.

Pre-Chorus
Every time I notice where my focus runs,
I have one more chance to choose how this day’s done.

Chorus
In the space between the trigger and my choice,
I can calm my breathing, I can find my voice.
When I give my thoughts a moment to slow down,
I can think with clarity, stand my solid ground.
In the space between what happens and what I do,
I can act with honesty and stay true.

Bridge
I come back to my breathing,
To the rise and to the fall,
Gently train my tired mind
To be here through it all.
Listen to my intuition,
What it’s trying to say,
Without all the rushing
Getting in the way.

Verse 3
Solitude’s not loneliness,
It’s kindness turned within,
A quiet self-compassion
Where I can just be again.
In that little inner sanctuary
I get to really see
My thoughts, my fears, my patterns
And choose who I will be.

Chorus
In the space between the trigger and my choice,
I can calm my breathing, I can find my voice.
When I give my thoughts a moment to slow down,
I can think with clarity, stand my solid ground.
In the space between what happens and what I do,
I can live more mindfully and stay true.

Verse 1
I don’t just want to make it through,
Dragging my body to the night.
I want to feel my energy
Burning clean and bright.
Vitality means being strong,
Alert in heart and mind,
With enough good fuel inside me
To live, not just get by.

Chorus
It’s vital to be alive, not just to survive,
Moving to the rhythm that keeps my joy alive.
Sleep deep, eat well, breathe slow, feel the drive,
That’s how I keep my happiness and energy revived.

Verse 2
The more I move, the better
My tired thoughts begin to clear,
Endorphins in my bloodstream
Turn the volume down on fear.
So I make it fun like childhood,
Climb a hill or dance around,
Let my feet remember joy
With every step on solid ground.

Chorus
It’s vital to be alive, not just to survive,
Moving to the rhythm that keeps my joy alive.
Sleep deep, eat well, breathe slow, feel the drive,
That’s how I keep my happiness and energy revived.

Verse 3
My days run in a rhythm,
Rising high then dipping low,
So I take small renewal breaks
Instead of pushing through it all.
Habits hold me steady
Sleep is where my mind resets,
Files the good so I recall,
Bad sleep makes the shadows loud,
Good sleep softens it all.

Chorus
It’s vital to be alive, not just to survive,
Moving to the rhythm that keeps my joy alive.
Sleep deep, eat well, breathe slow, feel the drive,
That’s how I keep my happiness and energy revived.

Verse 4
What I breathe can calm me down
When the day has been too much,
Deep and slow in my belly
Takes the sharp edge off the rush.
When I’m in control of breathing,
Wind it down and write my call,
Eat real food that leaves me feeling
Truly nourished, standing tall.

Chorus
It’s vital to be alive, not just to survive,
Moving to the rhythm that keeps my joy alive.
Sleep deep, eat well, breathe slow, feel the drive,
That’s how I keep my happiness and energy revived.

Verse 1
I used to beat myself up
For every little flaw,
Thought I had to fix it all
Before I could feel loved.
But chasing some perfect version
Only left me running tired,
Now I’m learning to be kinder
While I still reach a little higher.

Chorus
I’m in the driver’s seat of my happiness,
Balancing my growth with my own gentleness.
I can cheer myself on and still want to improve,
Love who I am and like my next move.
With compassion, curiosity, and courage on my feet,
I’m not along for the ride, I’m in the driver’s seat.

Verse 2
Life’s a long road of selfdiscovery,
Inside weather’s gonna change.
But I can make informed choices
’Bout what I do with all that rain.
I build an inner sanctuary
Where my voice is calm and fair,
If I wouldn’t say it to a friend,
I won’t say it to me in there.

Chorus
I’m in the driver’s seat of my happiness,
Balancing my growth with my own gentleness.
I can cheer myself on and still want to improve,
Love who I am and like my next move.
With compassion, curiosity, and courage on my feet,
I’m not along for the ride, I’m in the driver’s seat.

Verse 3
When I turn my curiosity
On the stories in my head,
I can rewrite old conclusions
That once kept my spirit scared.
I accept the whole spectrum
All my fails and all my wins,
That’s how real selfacceptance
And real change begin.

Chorus
I’m in the driver’s seat of my happiness,
Balancing my growth with my own gentleness.
I can cheer myself on and still want to improve,
Love who I am and like my next move.
With compassion, curiosity, and courage on my feet,
I’m not along for the ride, I’m in the driver’s seat
Yeah, I’m not along for the ride, I’m in the driver’s seat.