Happy Valentine's Day!

-By Jaime Willis

Being happy doesn't mean everything is perfect.

It means that you've decided to look beyond the imperfections.

Happy Valentines Day!

Valentine's Day is a celebration of our love for each other -- elementary school kids across the country are swapping Batman and Hello Kitty cards, eating candy hearts and frosted cupcakes. Cards, flowers, chocolates, and candlelit dinners are pretty popular treats for adults celebrating.

There's quite a bit of anti-Valentine's day push back as well. Couples lament the forced buying of gifts for this "Hallmark holiday." Singles lament that they have no one to share the dozen cupcakes they bought. It is remarkable that we can take a day devoted to love and joy and find something to snark about. Having been single for more than a few Valentine's Days of my own, I've not been immune to the snark.

But, having a Happy Valentine's Day is not determined by your relationship status -- it is determined by your attitude. You can choose to be happy!

"You are responsible for your life.

You can't keep blaming somebody else for your dysfunction." -Oprah

I love that quote because everyone has their own cross to bear in life -- it could be a horrible childhood, a violent ex, or a debilitating disease. Regardless of your circumstances, though, you ALONE are responsible for determining your attitude. You can choose to let those things in your past and present cripple you mentally and physically, or you can choose to dust yourself off and do the very best you can with what you've been given. At Velocity, we focus an entire section of our workshop (pssst -- the next one is this Saturday!) on attitude because we know how critical having a great attitude is to success.

Today should be a reminder to celebrate the people who make your life wonderful. For some, it's a significant other. For others, it's that friend who knows all your secrets and loves you anyway. There is your family, great coworkers, and even the barista who gets your morning order just right every time. We all have someone we can celebrate -- so rather than being snarky, let's all choose to spread joy and happiness today (and, if I had my way, every day)!

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day today!