One of the greatest gifts we have in this country is our freedom to pursue happiness.

Happiness: the fact or condition of being happy (joy, pleasure, contentment)

As an immigrant of this great land, I can appreciate that all ethnicities, religious backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses (stati?), ages, and genders have equal opportunity to fulfill their version of the "American Dream". There may be varying levels of difficulty depending on where you are and where you have been, but the plain truth is, everyone has an equal chance to become happy. Even better than it being written in our Constitution, it is our human birthright.

Surprisingly, the topic of Free Enterprise should really begin with the pursuit of our own happiness. Once we determine what makes us happy, and we understand that we are supported in our pursuit of it, we can examine how we are positioned to fulfill this for ourselves.

Have you ever really appreciated how powerful it is to know that we live in a country that allows for each person to get what they want out of life? There are no restrictions or limitations on what is available to you. You have the ability to create your own reality. Take that and sit with it for a moment. Absorb that fact, pure and simple, and allow yourself to dream. What is it that makes you happy at this moment? How often do you spend in that place, doing that thing, or with those people that make you happy? How is your life positioning you to receive more of it? On the other end of the spectrum, how little time to do you spend doing things that make you happy, what is diverting your attention from those things, how much of your day is spent doing the opposite of what fulfills you?

Free: not held back or confined. Enterprise: a project undertaken or to be undertaken. When we put those words together, we get: an economic and political doctrine holding that a capitalist economy can regulate itself in a freely competitive market through the relationship of supply and demand with a minimum of governmental intervention and regulation. So in a nutshell, the term means: business, a way of generating revenue, opportunity.

Now, let's get back to our topic. Knowing that you have the freedom to pursue your own happiness, are you utilizing the opportunity of Free Enterprise to create that for you and your loved ones? If you are trudging through your day to make ends meet or spending countless hours in the office or the airport fulfilling the agenda of your Corporate master, how is this helping you fulfill your dreams? In this technological age, the options we have to pursue freedom from the "rat race" are countless. All around you are ways to get you one step closer to truly living.

Examine your options and be empowered to know that YOU HAVE OPTIONS!