There are 12 months, 52 weeks, and 365 days in a single year, so why is it that the majority of people spend this time worrying about the future. As kids, it’s all about the snacks we have at school. Teenagers with relationship drama. College students finding the minimum requirements to pass a course. Adults juggling work to provide for their family, and there are always grandparents overbearing on their grandchildren to always put happiness as a priority. The issue is that each stage of our lives creates a new meaning of what happiness means and more reasons to worry.

Imagine you have $86,400 in your bank account and someone stole $10 from you, would you be upset and waste the other $86,390, in hopes of getting back at the person who took that $10 from you? Or move on and live?

We have 86,400 seconds in a single day so don’t allow someone’s negative 10 seconds ruin the rest of your 86,390.

I am, of course, a hypocrite for acting like I don’t let the small things get to me because I am human, and it is no surprise that a single moment can impact an entire day, but what if you have the power to change that, would you accept it? A positive mentality is rare to consistently have but it is most definitely possible, and it spreads like the flu.

My family moved from Bombay, India to the United States before I was born and my parents always say I am too Americanized and forget to think about those around me. In India, there is such a community culture, while in the USA it’s more about independence. I grew up around kids always talking about money and fame, kids always wanting more. But there was one woman who made me realize that the only way I can be happy, is to not overthink.

To be content with what I have and to give back to those around me without complaining. She was a hallmark to women and had the gentlest smile which was always there to light up a room. She is the one who taught me the true value of a moment. My grandma was the most influential woman I have ever met.

She never raised an eyebrow at our new ideas, never raised her voice when we were wrong, and always raised a book telling us to open our minds with knowledge. If it wasn’t for her constant nagging to find our happiness and then share it with the world, I would not be where I am today, and as this holiday season is approaching, I realize more and more that everyone has someone who touched them as my grandmother did for me, but I will never be able to relate to them or vice versa.

The holidays are typically filled with stress from finals, planning for family coming to town, with the addition of gifts, gifts, and more gifts. That is why it is so easy to forget the true meaning of the holidays. People always constantly say it’s all about the moments shared with friends and family, it’s all about helping those around you. The problem with this is that people are so determined to change and not realize what they have right in front of them. Gratitude is such a foreign concept to most, not by the fault of their own. I am no exception because of the culture in this society.

Most people expect things in relationships and because it doesn’t meet their expectation they become disappointed. There is such an emphasis on having the perfect gift or perfect day so one slip can affect the entire holiday. It is important to think about every 86,400 second as its own and to live in the moment, not for the moment. Find happiness in giving back to others while taking care of yourself. There is madness in the holiday season, but it can also be the happiest time of the year. We need to redefine expectations to find happiness in the little things.