Where does happiness come from?
Does it come from the way you were raised? Were the kids down the street “lucky” because they had a bigger, prettier house than you? More toys? Did this give them more of a reason to be happy? Was your childhood home broken? Are you?
Does it come from the money in your bank account? Does having a nice car to drive and new shoes to walk in make your life a little more bearable? Does being able to afford going out on the weekends really, truly, deeply make you happy?
What about school? Does the guy from high school who got into a university have a better shot at happiness than the guy who is attending community college? Does having to finish three essays by Friday really rob you of your happiness?
And what if your brain naturally says “no” to happiness? What if you have a chemical imbalance that simply sabotages your human right to be content? What if finding the courage to wake up in the morning is absolutely exhausting? What if happiness is something that you gave up on a long time ago?
What if things are not easy? And what if you are alone?
Where does happiness come from?
Here is some tough love: happiness stems from your decision to push yourself to be better. It is a product of you being exactly the person you want to be.
If you are a product of your parent's dreams, your significant other's wishes, your friend's opinions or what society wants you to be: are you truly happy?
The key to happiness is having the courage to love yourself. It’s having the courage to quit that job you hate because you know that you can do better for yourself. It’s having the drive to achieve a higher education so you can be the best “you” there can be. It’s even walking away from something, or someone, that prevents you from growing as an individual.
Happiness, to those who struggle the most, can be found in the decision to seek help. It could be found through therapy, medication, exercise, and self-discipline. To these individuals: though your journey may be more difficult, you deserve happiness as much as anyone else.
Happiness is not what “they” want us to think it is; it’s not millions of dollars, the perfect husband, or your dream house. We will not find it in these places.
Happiness starts with the love that you have for yourself and the life that you have built so far. Happiness will be found with the ability to not look at “what is missing,” but rather to appreciate what is already there. These thoughts will take you to places that you could have never imagined, places you could have never gone with negativity.
Happiness can be found in your heart and through the act of showing love to others. By finding the best in your situation, the best in your personality (and letting those parts grow) and helping others reach their best, you will, without a doubt, find what you’ve been searching for.
Happiness is a journey. And it isn’t “maybe someday”—it is “right now.”
