We're always told that you need to love yourself before you can love others and honestly, it's true. You need to have the ability to create happiness for yourself without relying on others around you.

I mean honestly, we're all guilty of counting on somebody to create happiness for us at some point in our life. It wasn't until I basically hit rock bottom that I realized that I wasn't really happy with myself, my choices, or just life in general. I had relied on others to make me happy for so long that I forgot how to truly be happy. That's what it took for me--- hitting rock bottom. When I finally opened my eyes to reality and seeing that I wasn't happy, I knew I had to change something.

Sometimes life sucks, sometimes people suck, but you just have to realize that not everything is rainbows and butterflies. People will say mean things to you, plans aren't always the way you see them in your head, and people will hurt you. Through all of these things, you have to realize they're human, you're human. Sometimes it's hard to admit, but you do these things, too. Acknowledging and processing your emotions is part of being human. It's something you need to go through in order to truly understand happiness. If you never process your bad emotions, you brush them off and basically let it consume you until you hit rock bottom.

Being happy means letting go. Sometimes you are wrong and that's hard to admit, but admitting it is better than fighting with somebody you care about. There's nothing with being wrong, it's a chance to learn and grow from those mistakes. There's no reason to be stubborn and create a barrier of anger between you and others.

Letting go also means letting go of your past. You can't change the past. You can't fix what has been said and done. Things happen for a reason and you have to realize that. Dwelling over a bad grade does nothing for your mental health besides bring yourself down; instead of dwelling over a bad grade, think of it as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes and create new ways to do better the next time. Losing a loved one is one of the hardest things that we dwell on in our past. We get angry and think about how awful it was, but dwelling on the memory losing them just tears us down. Instead of becoming angry with why it happened, you have to remind yourself that everything happens for a reason and they are living with an abundance of happiness in somewhere beautiful.

In reality, you will never be happy 100% of the time, that's just not realistic. We're human, we need to feel and process all of our emotions, but trying to find the positive in a negative situation will help you conquer those hard times. If you are constantly living in a negative state of mind, you will never live a positive life. It's hard, honestly. Although once you start relying on yourself and continuing to find at least one positive a day, it gets easier. Then you move to two positives a day, then three, and so on. Just don't forget it's natural to process your bad emotions, too. You have the power to control you and your happiness.

Have fun and don't forget to laugh. Laugh at yourself and don't take life so seriously. Be the best you that you can be.