Happiness.
Noun : The state of being happy.
When we're young, happiness is easy, it's an undefinable force that seems to flow from us infinitely. As we age, it seems as if that fountain, that river shrinks year by year until eventually instead of gushing, it trickles. There's school, drama, stress, homework, a job (or two), grouchy co-workers, the list goes on. Added factors in our lives that slowly but surely wear us down. So as we grow older, and the world becomes heavier, happiness becomes harder to find and it's only there in fleeting moments.
I am a firm believe in the ideology that in order to be happy despite the pressures of day to day life you have to make a conscious effort every single day. You have to wake up in the morning and tell yourself, "Today is going to be good. Things are going to go right, and if they don't, oh well. I won't let that get me down". You have to make the choice to look the mistakes, bad timings, and unfortunate occurrences straight on and say, "Not today. You aren't going to drag me now". More than that, though, you have to choose to do things you genuinely enjoy. If you go to college to be a lawyer and you outright hate everything you're doing, are you happy? Are you ever going to be? Let me tell you the answer there. No. You won't, you'll find yourself stuck in a mediocre position, making mediocre pay and eventually you'll give up on ever pursuing your passion because you're stuck in a place that you don't enjoy. To be happy in life not just with yourself but where you are is to be somewhere that pushes you to become more. It's being somewhere that takes your passion and lets you run wild with creativity.
Finding happiness, pursuing it and finally capturing it is hard work. It's easier said than done to wake up every morning with a perfectly sunny attitude. It's not as easy to make that choice every day but it's worth it. The effort that you put into your daily attitude directly correlates to how well your day or week goes. So while it may be difficult, and may seem impossible at times happiness is wonderfully attainable.
The simplest of actions can mean the difference between good and bad, grouchy and content. Buying yourself your favorite coffee, complimenting someone and watching their face light up, taking an hour to enjoy your favorite book or TV show, or just taking some time to laugh with your friends. The little things in life are what make it great, what make it worth living.
So the next time you're having a rough day, just remember, the day doesn't control you. You control it. Get out there, find your happiness, and never, ever give up.
