In the past year I've learned more about what it means to be a happy person than I've ever known in my entire life. It’s not to say that I haven’t been happy, because truly I always was; I've just learned to enjoy life a little more every step of the way.

Take this past weekend for example: waiting in line for food, I reached into my fanny pack to the surprise of a missing wallet. I lost a pretty decent sized wad of cash at Lollapalooza. That’s pretty rough, right? Especially when that was most of your cash for the entire weekend. My body went into panic mode as I grabbed my friend's arm and rushed her back to the main stage we were at prior. We searched the grass all around, and even the lost and found several times, yet it was no where to be found.

Most people would be devastated. I can’t say that I wasn’t upset or angry with myself, but I took a step back and evaluated my situation. It was JUST cash. I still have my health, family, friends, and future, and those are what drive me to achieve pure bliss.

I understand that for some people, it’s extremely difficult to move past a situation that isn’t in their favor, I've been there and was there for many years. However, there are many things in this world that are out of our control and for that reason, learning to accept what comes our way makes life that much better.

I came into my freshman year of college dating my then boyfriend of two and a half years. We broke up only a few months later and it was extremely difficult for me. He had been my everything in high school. I didn’t know how I would handle the rest of college without him, but I was lucky enough to have absorbed the things that he taught me and pushed through it. I focused more on those who were by my side to help me through the break up. I focused on those who I enjoyed being around. I threw myself harder into my work and my workouts and things really started to look up.

All in all, this isn’t a story about my break up, it’s about how I learned to find happiness with what I was given and I couldn’t enjoy any more. If we can step in to another person’s shoes and understand why they act a certain way, or understand that maybe things are crappy at the moment, but nothing lasts forever, we can control our own destiny and create happiness wherever we go.

Sitting around and trying to analyze what other people think of us, or trying to figure out why something happens does nothing but bring us down. If we accept who we are, and who we've become, it radiates out of our bodies. Although that may sound strange, people have a way about them that causes other people to sense when they are confident or not. It goes hand in hand with happiness. If you're happy, it shows. Be happy with who you are, the grades you get, the way you look because that is how your life is intended. That's the way you're supposed to be; accept that and everything else will ultimately become enjoyable.

For that reason, the one thing I always carry with me is a smile. A smile is worth more than anything in my opinion. Happiness can be transferred from one person to another, and that is the ultimate goal.