Happiness: Where does it come from?

Happiness is the one thing that every person is striving for in life. It is the thing that we all have in common. Happiness keeps the world spinning and the animals singing, but where does it come from? Today sometimes it seems like happiness is the rarest jewel that is only found when the moon and tides are perfectly in sync, which happens once every one hundred years. We get too caught up in our daily lives, daily to do's, and daily struggles, to schedule in that twenty minutes of happiness each day. Happiness starts to be put on the back burner, something that is easily forgotten, but yet isn't happiness the whole reason for life? The warm feeling we get in our hearts and the smile that appears on our faces is really what drives us to get out of bed each and everyday, but yet it seems like society has forgotten this. Money, status, and getting more Instagram followers, are the driving forces behind the way people live now. We always want more, more of everything, because we feel as though materialistic things will give us that happiness, but it doesn't fill that void deep within. Happiness can't be bought, it can't be earned with a few green paper dollars. Happiness comes from the positive relationships we have, the way we love, and following our passions. In the nineteen years that I have been on this planet I have learned some of my own keys to happiness and here are a few to help you my dear reader, on your journey to a happier life.

My five keys to happiness: 

1) Go outside. I have found that going outside boosts my mood in as little as five minutes when I am feeling stressed, worried, or overwhelmed. You could try taking a walk, going for a bike ride, reading a book on the deck, or having a picnic.  

2) Spend time with friends and family. Spending time with the people that make you feel good about yourself is one of the major keys to happiness. Your friends and family are an untapped supply of love and support, so take advantage of that. Just spending time with people you love will make your heart start to sing again.

3) Do the things you love.  Life is way, way too short to be stuck in the continuous cycle of doing things you don't like. If you want to read a book or watch Netflix for a couple of hours instead of worrying about school or work, do it! Taking a couple hours off from life and the endless amount of emails is one of the healthiest things a person can do. This can even apply to what you are going to school for or what job you are doing. Those decisions are what can effect your entire life and a lot of the times we base them off of money. The key thing here however is that when you are seventy years old and hopefully retired, are you going to be happy with the life you led, or are you going to regret doing the things you didn't like? I can bet nine times out of ten, the answer will be the ladder.

4) Make decisions for yourself. Now this is a lot easier to do when you are young, so don't waste the younger years making decisions to make others happy. If you have a dream, but someone else thinks you shouldn't, DO IT ANYWAYS. Making decisions for me, myself, and I, can seem like a scary task, but it will be the most well deserved one yet. Being selfish is not in most people's thoughts, but I say it should be. Think of yourself once in a while, be a little selfish, I promise it will be the best decision that you will ever make.

5) Love yourself. Now I know, I know. Love yourself is the most cliché thing on the internet that someone could say, while it is mostly coming from beautiful, well off, celebrities, but hold on for a second. I mean I am certainly not a celebrity and if an average Joe like me can find truth in this, so can you. To me loving yourself is the first step to basically everything in life. It is the first step in relationships, confidence, dream goals, believing in yourself, and yes even happiness. Once you are truly calm and at ease in your own skin, this will make your mood never go lower than a seven. You can be your own best friend and finding solace in being alone will lead to happiness.

My five keys to having a happier life are just some of the ways that you can find happiness. Happiness is not all about the next iPhone, a new car, or owning a mansion. Happiness comes from within. Knowing how to make yourself and your soul happy will lead to you finding the giant door to a better life. There is a lot of bad in the world, but finding happiness is the only way to survive and not let the dark things pollute your life. But hey what do I know, I am only a nineteen year old girl who has found happiness in the world around me.

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