While there is no one way to be happy and true happiness is defined by the individual, it seems as if people who express genuine happiness have a routine of practicing self love, making time for good friends and setting and accomplishing goals. So what does it take to truly be at peace in our own minds? I don't know if anyone will ever know exactly what it takes, but by making time for ourselves and taking steps to become better people rather than blaming others for what they are doing wrong, happiness seems to come naturally.

So sit down. Make yourself a cup of tea or coffee and take time for you. Take a bubble bath or read your favorite book, style your hair a new way or use a brighter colored lipstick than usual and baffle yourself with how good you feel. Take 10 minutes to pray or meditate or sing, call up a friend you haven't seen in a while and listen to all they have to say before you talk about yourself, because you have no need to. You know you're happy and they'll know you're doing great by the way you're glowing.

When someone at work or school or even in the supermarket stresses you out, be the bigger person; don't let them ruin your day. Give a good tip to your server or put extra quarters in the meter for the next person to park there once you leave. Doing things to make others happy will make you happy. In other words, theres no real answer to the question "What does it take to be happy?". Overall, if you work solely on ridding yourself of negativity, being kind to others and pursuing the things you love, eventually you will start to become a much happier person and hopefully attract better company as well.