Have you asked yourself recently, "When will I be happy", "How do I find it", and more importantly "How can I never lose it when I do find it?" 

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I think all of us can admit that we have fallen victim to these question and finding the answer may seem so far, but have you realized your blessings today? In a world filled with images and messages that dictate how happiness should look, feel and sound...where is the fun in that for you? I often find myself thinking about how important it is to create your own image of happiness and the consequences that accompany not doing so.

 

I have been asked several times throughout my life why I have remained happy and my answer always stems from the fact that my happiness is different from yours. This is an essential concept to consider because some people love painting, running or reading, but I myself find little enjoyment in those things. I love specific aspects of life which are dependent upon the individual that I am. So, considering these ideas, how much does social media warp your mind to feel as though you need something else to be happy? Do you need to be a promoter or influencer because society told you to? Do you need to follow a diet so strict that you lose your happiness for the approval of others? Or do you succumb to toxic habits in hopes that one day you will find happiness through these abusive measures?

 

I cannot lie and say that I have never succumbed to these ideas and thoughts, and even actions. I have thought and I’m sure others have as well that “oh I’ll be happy if people think I am doing what they want to see” or “when I’m skinny I will find the love of my life or be recognized by society as beautiful.” Then, I came to the realization that happiness is dependent upon you, and you alone. It’s not what you make of it, it’s what you take from it AND make of it. Do you take from your current everyday circumstances a positive message or is it negatively affecting you? You can’t make happiness out of others expectations because they’re not you. I feel that we get so consumed by perfection and success that we forget happiness will not be there if we haven’t found it yet.

 

Happiness is lifelong, if you can find it that is. But to say that it’s easy to be happy or that you can find happiness in this or that is not reflective upon you as a person. The beautiful thing about happiness is that it is not one size fits all. In fact, most people who depict the idea that they are happy are not. To explain this? Well, I could easily say that it’s because we think happiness is what society has defined it to be. Is that true though? I think happiness is something that varies from person to person and to identify the true meaning of happiness would be a major downfall for our society. Happiness is you, in short. No one, no place, no circumstance, no setback on earth could tell you how to be happy, it’s what you want, need, love and care about. To be truly happy is to stop trying to find happiness in the societal setting and start focusing on the personal level.

 

I myself have made several mistakes, and I have had regrets, but I realize that those experiences shaped me into realizing how to find my happiness, my peace. I realized that settling for average, which encompasses both being surrounded by negative people or reliving past regrets that are not conducive to my happiness, would never fulfill me or enable me to live the life I have always dreamed of.

 

Life is a journey. Mistakes and regrets are inevitable, but happiness is real. It is not made up or a pill you can take, it is truth and honesty with yourself to take a step back and to realize you can be happy if you find peace with your past and focus on the aspects of life that bring you the greatest joy.

 

Happiness, as I said before, is not a one size fits all. It is a learning process, a growing process, a process that involves pain and many mistakes because through these trials that life instills on each of us, we learn a little bit more. We learn that pictures and articles have a significant impact on the human mind to perceive happiness as a matter of circumstance. However, what I want to reiterate to all of my readers is that no matter who you are, where you are, the obstacles and setbacks you’ve faced, and the nights where you felt that there is no happiness left inside of you, you are the answer that your heart and soul has been searching for this entire time.