Simplistic Happiness By Madison Reed

So often I feel as if we categorize our friends, family, and strangers into two categories: Happy and Unhappy. The thing is so many things go into happiness that are beyond our control; family, environment, mental disorders, health, and just overall the cards we are dealt. It can be so hard to look at happy people and not think that they might just be luckier than you. I'm here to tell you that you might not be able to control any of the things above, but the thing is you can control your perspective. Stop putting stock in the idea that you will be happy when some big thing occurs. Maybe for you that is getting in a relationship, going on vacation, or getting your dream job. When we bet all of our happiness on these big moments we are setting ourselves up to be disappointed, and the truth is those big feelings of happiness can be quite fleeting.

I'm the last person to just lecture you about being optimistic because for some people their life circumstances just make optimism so hard. What I can say is you gain control of your happiness when you start letting happy things happen to you everyday. Even on the worst days there are things going on around you that can make you smile and give you just a dose of happiness. You just have to be open to it. Do you ever see a dog with its head out the window, tongue out, living his best life? Or have you been listening to music only to see that the person walking on the side of the road is matching your song perfectly? Are you allowing everyday, seemingly small circumstances to affect you in a positive way? The more you recognize those weird quirky things that give you a smile and glimmer of happiness, the more you will allow yourself to receive the happiness and allow for those small moments to stack up! I encourage each and every one of you to make a list of some examples of your simplistic happiness moments. Allow yourself to really look, recognize, and enjoy those fleeting moments because they can make all the difference.