Happiness seems like such a simple thing to have, especially when Walt Disney says that "Happiness is simply a state of mind." Well, if happiness really is such an easy thing to have then why is it so hard for people to find it? Why if it is so easy to be happy do people spend their lives searching for what gives them genuine happiness when the search doesn't need to happen at all?

Maybe the reason people have to spend their whole life searching for happiness is because of that fact right there: happiness isn't meant to be found, especially in only one thing. In fact, happiness isn't something that you suddenly discover as people seem to think because happiness is not a destination -- happiness is a life-long journey.

There are many things that mimic the feeling of happiness-- like buying a new car or new clothes-- but that excitement fades quickly because both the source of happiness and the excitement you feel isn't sustainable. Real, genuine happiness is like love, it is there to stay through everything that life throws your way and when it is all said and done, true happiness will leave you feeling as though you lived the life that you were given, well.

True happiness can be discovered at any point in life, and is, but what makes us happy changes as we grow emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Regardless of your age, true happiness can be felt when you take chances, do things that you never thought were possible and end up proving yourself wrong, and challenging yourself to do the things that really make you happy and feel alive even though society may say that it isn't "cool."

So, please, for your sake, stop searching for happiness. Stop hoping that it will magically appear at your doorstep. And, most importantly, stop wishing you could be as happy as the person next door. If you want to be happy, do as Walt Disney says and have a happy state of mind, challenge yourself, do something new, figure out exactly who you are meant to be and find people like you, and take advantage of every opportunity and an open door that is presented to you. Only then will inner happiness arrive. Everyone wants to look back on their life when they are 85 years old and know that they didn't just live but they lived the life that they were given, well.

Happiness is something that we as individual people have control over. Only we can make ourselves be truly happy and I think deep down inside, we all know how to make ourselves happy, we are just too scared to step out of our comfort zones and try. Imagine how much brighter your day, your week, and your year could be if only you had the strength right now to choose to be happy. Happiness is only one positive, personal choice away.