As I began asking him questions, it came to light that he had an annual income of less than $10,000, he lived alone, and walked with a cane. I could also see that he was happy. I’m talking about that internal happiness that few achieve. He was completely at peace and content.

As we exchanged dialogue, one of the questions I had to ask him was how he planned to recover from his loss. He said, “I haven’t lost anything. You see, young lady, while it may look like all my possessions burned up in the fire, I haven’t lost anything of real value. As long as I am alive, I am grateful. And that gratitude can never burn up in a fire. That can never be taken away from me.”

I was speechless for a moment and then said, “That’s an amazing attitude, sir.”

He said, “I can see from your eyes that you are kind, and I can tell from your energy that you sincerely care about me, and I’m grateful. I carry gratitude in my heart. It’s the most valuable thing I own. I’ll carry it until the day I die. Every day on this earth is a blessing, and every moment I live is a pleasure.”

We continued on with the interview. He was the most positive, carefree, happy person I’ve sat in front of in a long time. Finally near the end of the interview I said, “I can tell you have this inner peace and you radiate joy and contentment. Have you always been this way?”

He said, “Oh no, young lady. I’ve been homeless, I’ve been addicted to drugs and alcohol. I’ve even served time in prison. But one day I was done living in the dark. I invited the light of love and gratitude into my soul and it has never left me and it has never let me down.”

I said, “How did you do it?”

He leaned in and said, “It was like flipping a switch. I just decided one day that going forward I was going to leave people alone, stop hurting myself, stop hurting others, and spread happiness and joy wherever God let me. And I’ll tell you one of the secrets to being happy.”

I couldn’t wait to hear it.

He said, “I stay away from people who are living in the dark. If they are negative, mean, nasty, lack compassion, or are trying to hurt or control me, I just say goodbye. You gotta be careful who you let into your energy. Darkness of the heart is a contagious poison that can make your soul sick. You stay away from toxic energy.”

I spent about 20 minutes talking to this man. All he owned was his cane and his attitude, and it was more than enough for him. Before I concluded the interview, I asked him if there was anything he needed.

He said, “Well, all I really want right now is a good cup of soup. Give me a good cup of soup and a heart full of gratitude and I’ll walk this world a happy man.”

When I left him, I felt so humbled and grateful myself. By all of society’s standards this man was poor, but in reality, he’s one of the richest men on the planet. To carry happiness in your heart, to be grateful when you have almost nothing, is wealth indeed.

And he ran off and started running through the grass in the most lovely and abandoned way that children do. When he came back he had two sticks in his hand and handed me one and said, “This is your wand. We’re going to grant people wishes when they walk past us.”

I said, “How will we know what they want? Are we going to ask them?”

He said, “No, we don’t need to ask them. We’re just going to grant them happiness, because that’s what everyone is really wishing for deep down.”

I gave that some thought and realized he was right. All the things we wish for are really an attempt to bring us happiness aren’t they? Think about what you’re wishing for right now.

Are you wishing for money? Is that because you equate financial abundance with happiness?

Are you wishing for love? Is that because you believe that being loved will make you happy?

Are you wishing for solutions to your problems? Or for your goals to be achieved?

We want to be happy.

And we chase happiness all over the place, don’t we? We try to create it. We try to mold our environment to support it. We try to force things to happen to make us happy. We put conditions on happiness, “I’ll be happy when ….” Or “I’ll only be happy if ….”

But the reality is that happiness is ours to claim anytime we wish it. Happiness is a feeling. And feelings can be generated from inside us, even when there are no “real” reasons to feel happy.

How many times have you heard or read a story of a person who maintained their happiness in the face of what others would easily consider a horrible tragedy or adversity? That’s because no matter what is happening to us, we can choose to be happy. It may not always be easy. It may not always feel justified. But it’s always our choice.

So you can grant yourself the wish of being happy any time you want to. Be happy for no reason. Spend some part of each day in a state of total happiness, even if just for a minute. If you’re having trouble finding your happiness, look for it under the blanket of gratitude. Think of 10 things you’re grateful for. Happiness will follow. Or use one of my methods for raising your vibration in less than ten minutes. Happiness is in there too.

As I concluded my walk with Kyle he said, “I wish we could grant this wish for everyone on the planet.”

I replied, “I do too, kiddo.”

Get out your magic wand and make the wish for yourself right now. You have the power to be happy if you choose it. You choose your perspective, you choose your emotions. If you’re not used to exercising that choice, then start now. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.