Growing up with the internet at my fingertips, my quest for happiness began many Google searches ago. I found myself in an abyss of blogs that promise a better life, success, and points for a perfect plan. I’ve spent countless hours scouring the pages for answers. At 22, I’ve never yearned for understanding more than now. All of a sudden once you hit 22, everything changes.

My mind became overwhelmed with complicated tips and tricks, but the solution seemed unclear. We all ask ourselves who we truly want to become, which career path we should pursue, and most importantly, how to reach happiness. After all, isn’t that what we’re all trying to discover in the end?

After months of reading, practicing, and welcoming new wave thinking into my life, I can sum up my biggest solution in one word: gratitude. A simple word we all learn about in elementary school, yet an ideal that I had lost along the way in between planners and lists. As I looked in the mirror, I asked myself what the problem was. All of the blogs suggested routines, calendars, and meditating, but I still felt lost in in a sea of faces and drowning in chaos. I realized what I had lost was my simple ability to be thankful.

I repeated “gratitude” as I woke, throughout the day, and into the night.

And so my life changed.

Waking up in the morning began to be exciting. I replaced the stress of planning my day from the minute I opened my eyes, by beginning the day by saying thanks for life. Thanking the world you are alive and ready to begin your day can truly empower your mission.

I challenge you to replace your stress with gratitude, regardless of the situation.

I promise it will transform your life into something magical. When you have to study for a test, thank the world that you are able to learn. When you have to clean, be thankful you are able to move your arms. When you feel uncomfortable, be grateful you can feel and invite the energy to transform your uneasy moment into a positive possibility.

When you feel alone, be thankful for the time you are able to find yourself in those moments. Life is a teacher, and the lessons shape us. I now thank each and every one of them.

This way of thinking promotes empathy, understanding, and powerful possibility. I turned all of my "can’t"s into "can"s and hopes into plans with gratitude. Each meal you eat is a miracle, when you really think of how a plant had to germinate from the sun and survive from soil, the animal had to eat that plant, and now you are nourished by this chain of events. It is a miracle you awake from sleep, a blessing you can think, and an even bigger beauty that we all can express such thanks.

Happiness is achieved through gratitude.

Be thankful for each person you encounter, each situation you face, and each challenge you overcome. Thanking life for its lessons empowers us to reach our wildest dreams, and strengthens our souls each day.

With gratitude we can realize the blessings in our own lives, but more importantly, extend our abilities to strengthen others. We can begin to see there is no coincidence, but only experiences that guide us on a beautiful journey if we can remember to thank it.

And that is the simple solution to happiness: gratitude. Welcome the unplanned day, live in the moment, and thank the world you can be part of it every minute. I promise, gratitude is the simple solution.