I turned 40 in March. It’s a big mile-stone birthday for many people and your reaction to such an event really depends on who you are on the inside.

I never dreaded turning 40. I actually feel better today than I did 10 years ago. (look better, too, but that’s beside the point.)

A few years ago I started on my path of self-rediscovery. I needed to find myself again, because somehow, I’d lost a bit of the real me. I got fat, I was depressed, and mostly I was a shell of the person I used to be.

So slowly I started to shed the weight. It’s really easy to hide behind the fat. The more I exercised, the better I felt. And now, if I don’t walk at least 4 days a week for over an hour, I start to feel sad. It’s one of my favorite times of the day. Lots of thinking, contemplating, daydreaming, and sometimes a little crying will take place on my walks. I don’t hide anymore. And I don’t feel like I need to.

And frankly, I’m happy again.

What’s the point of all this? I guess maybe that the only thing we can be in control of is our own happiness. I took charge of my emotional well being. I stopped relying on others to make me happy. It’s an amazingly freeing feeling. I’m not saying that others can’t enhance your happiness but to give them full control over your emotions tends to give them control over you. Bit-by-bit you lose yourself.

Have you tried it? Have you taken control of your own happiness or are you still relying on others to do your job for you? It surprises me that my daily walks are the one thing that bring me peace. I bet there is something out there that will do the same for you.