Life has been going well lately. A little too well. Last week I finished a project in one night that I was supposed to complete over four weeks, and I received full credit. I just signed the lease on a great apartment for next year, and I get to live there with some of my best friends. When life has been handing you nothing but lemonade for a few weeks, it makes you start to wonder when the other shoe is going to drop. But why does the other shoe have to drop at all? Can't we just plant our feet firmly on the ground and not feel paranoid about when everything is going to come crashing down?

In the midst of all this good, I can't shake the feeling that I have to be prepared to lose it all at any second. In one moment I feel incredibly grateful for all of the great things and people in my life, and in the next moment I'm terrified that it'll all be gone by tomorrow. I'm lucky that I have so much to be afraid of losing, but happiness is worth nothing if it is taken for granted. Fear and sadness have far too much power in our world today, so we have no choice but to hold on as tightly as we can to any and all joy that enters our lives.

It's easy to let negativity overwhelm you. Most people are quick to let one hateful comment ruin their day than to let 10 positive ones make it better. This is a normal reaction, but it doesn't have to be. Choosing to focus on the good isn't something that always comes naturally to people, myself included.

Of course, choosing joy doesn't mean that you ignore your struggles or the endless hardships that plague the world. Instead, it means that you face these problems without letting go of the good in the process.

Fear will only hold you back from being in the moment and letting yourself take advantage of the happiness you've worked so hard for. For those of us with a past of bad luck, we're always on the defense, just waiting for the worst case scenario to occur. Bad news feels almost more comforting than good, because it's what we expect. Those pessimistic expectations are what makes it difficult to feel genuine happiness in the first place. If you make it a priority to hold on to joy, soon, there won't be room left for anything else. When things feel too good to be true, stop questioning your blessings and start making the most of them instead.