We're going to play a little game.

I want you to think of your day so far, and how you're feeling. Think about what happened today and how it effected you. Now, rate your happiness on a scale of 1-10.

Now, I want you to think of the past week. How happy were you? Rate it 1-10.

Come on, do it–and be honest with yourself. The only person who knows your answer is you.

Whatever your answer was, weather it be 1, 4, 7–maybe even a 10–I want you to think about why.

What made it so great?

Did you pass a really hard test? Did you get engaged? Did you adopt a new puppy? Did you find a really awesome, new song?

Whatever it was, I want you to know that I'm happy that it made you happy.

I think it's so great when people can appreciate the amazing things that happen in life, everyday.

But what I think is sad, though, is that in a short amount of time, the happiness that you once felt from these things will go away.

As humans, we constantly look for a source of happiness. Something that will help us brighten up our lives when we can't do it ourselves.

Don't even try to deny it, because this is something you can do without even thinking about it.

I'm going to cut to the chase here, and say that you–and whoever else may be reading this article–really need to stop doing that.

Now you're probably thinking: "What? Why are you telling me what to do? I can't just be happy."

I'm not telling you what to do. I'm asking you politely to make this change for the better. And I mean stop looking towards other things to give you happiness. Find happiness yourself. Don't keep waiting for something amazing to happen so that you're happy.

You're probably wondering why I'm lecturing you on this, and why I think I have the right to just go around telling strangers that they should be happy. Well, I have answers for all of your questions.

I'm lecturing you on this because I've been through this myself, and it took me 17 years to realize that I have to stop counting on other people to make me happy.

I spent a lot of my life moping around just like the next person.

I would've given every day a 4-5 on the happiness scale, and I probably never would've been truly happy.

But there came a time in life when I had to change my ways for the better.

I took a good, long, hard look at myself, and I just said, "I'm so tired of this."

I was tired of not being happy, and I was tired of looking around for happiness that wasn't going to jump out at me any time soon.

So I started to find the happiness in myself.

And to be honest, it started as simple as waking up in the morning and saying to myself, "Today is going to be a good day."

Of course there are speed bumps no matter what, but you can't let that stop you–ever.

This was a life change that needed to be fought for.

No, it did not come easy, and some days I thought it would be easier to say, "Screw this," and go back to being unhappy and waiting for the happy moments to find me.

But I couldn't do that.

I knew deep down inside of me that this was going to be important.

Gradually (after a few weeks), I realized that I saw a change.

I could look back and say that I was happy during damn near everything.

Even little moments when I was just listening to music in my bed seemed to make me feel so alive and–human.

What I really want you to take away from this article is that you can do the same thing.

I talk to too many people everyday that tell me that they're not happy with their lives. They tell me about all the things that are bothering them, and that they just feel so stuck.

When I hear that from my friends and loved ones, my heart kind of breaks a little.

Once I began thinking about it, I realized that there has to be so many more people living their lives feeling this way.

So, I want you–and anyone else you know–to make this life change that I made.

I want you to start waking up in the morning and being thankful that you had. I want you to look forward to every day that is ahead of you. And more than anything, I want you to fall in love with being alive.

You can always start small, and celebrate the small stuff–next thing you know, you're going to be telling people to make the same change you did.

You'll become a motivational speaker of sorts for those people in your life.

But this change has to start in you. You have to want this.

Now, like I said before, I know that me just telling you to find happiness isn't going to help you find happiness–but someone has to give you that push somehow, and it might as well be me, like this.

I know that the flip side of this is that life isn't always beautiful, and you'd be right. I can't deny that because I know firsthand that life can be a bitch.

But please... please, just learn to be happy.

In the middle of writing this article, I got some of the worst news I think I could get.

I have never heard of such a string of bad luck happening while trying to write an article about being happy.

But I've taught myself over the course of my journey to happiness that I can't let anything stop me from living my life.

Whether it's rain or shine, I have never felt more ready to be happy, and push for happiness everywhere.