Life can get pretty rough, and it seems that happiness gets harder to find as time goes on. The things listed below will not magically fix all of your life's problems, but they are little things that you can do to improve your daily life, and make yourself just a little happier.

1. Wake up earlier

I know, I know. It sucks to wake up early. But you'd be surprised by how much it truly improves the quality of your everyday life! Waking up earlier gives you longer days, which, in turn, gives you infinitely more opportunities to accomplish the things you need (or want) to accomplish. Plus longer days makes it seem like time isn't passing so darn quickly, and we all know that isn't a bad thing! I know that you will probably hate your life for the first few minutes trying to pull yourself away from your cozy bed, but trust me. I promise you'll be thankful for it later!

2. Set Goals

When you wake up (hopefully early) in the morning, try to set some small goals for your day. Fulfillment is a feeling that all humans need and search for, so setting yourself some easily attainable goals is a great way to get that feeling and to get the happiness that results from it. Plus, it helps give each day its own purpose. Your goals can be as specific as "wash the dishes, walk the dog, go to the gym, etc.", or they can be as abstract as "do something healthy for my mind, do something healthy for my heart, do something healthy for my body, etc."

3. Have A Random Dance Party

Okay so, I don't know if this will work for you, but it sure does for me. Let me first say that I am not a good dancer at all, and when I do dance, I look like a crazy person. But for some reason dancing always lifts my mood. Dancing is so fun, and it's great exercise too, so why not try it? Find a place where you can be alone (or find a close friend that you're comfortable with), turn on your favorite jam, and just go bananas. I'm not talking just a little head-bopping, foot-tapping business. No. You gotta totally let yourself go wild, and let yourself have fun! It's a great way to forget your worries, even if just for a minute.

4. Turn Off Your Phone

It seems like any time there is a lull in conversation, our very first instinct is to check our phones. Can you imagine all of the special moments we're missing when we decide to spend a minute scrolling through Instagram instead of, I don't know, actually talking and interacting with the people around us? I'm not saying to go throw your iPhone 6 in the garbage can or anything, but I am saying to turn off your phone at least once a day and just see what happens. Believe it or not, there's a world out there that's just waiting for you to explore it.

5. Compliment Someone

A stranger. A friend. A family member. It doesn't matter who it is, but just make it a point to try to brighten someone's day every day. They will feel good about hearing it, and you'll feel good for saying it, even if it's as small and simple as "hey, I like your shoes." There's a certain warmth that comes from making someone smile, and I promise complimenting someone is the easiest way to make yourself (and someone else) just a little happier.

6. Do A Good Deed

Hold the door for someone. Buy the food for the car behind you in the fast-food pick-up line. Return someone's empty cart for them in the supermarket parking lot. Just do something worth being thanked for, and do it for no reason.

7. Talk To Small Children

I never expect it, but having a conversation with a child somehow just makes my day. Whether or not it's your niece or your little cousin, your own kid, or just a little boy or girl that waves hello from across the restaurant, there's something magically simple about the mind of a tiny little human. They're so sincere. They don't judge people by how they look or what they believe, but rather by how they treat them. They're natural-born optimists, believing the best in everything, and they aren't afraid to say exactly what's on their little minds. We highly, highly underestimate the power of a child.

8. Go Outside

I don't know about you guys, but I am an absolute sucker for the world's natural beauty. That's why I personally love spring and summer so much. In my opinion, that's when our awesome little planet really likes to show its stuff: the skies are at its brightest, the trees and flowers are in full bloom, the sun is giving all it has. Heck, even rain in the summertime is awesome, and a perfect opportunity for a random dance party. So go outside and let the world impress you. I promise you it won't disappoint.

9. Say It

I'm not joking. Actually say the words, "Today will be a good day." Say them out loud. You see, happiness is more of a choice than it is a circumstance, and the more you use your voice to speak positivity into your day, the more likely it will actually happen. Because you said that it will be a good day, you will automatically be more open to seeing the things that make it good. Also, it could make you more motivated to make your day great, because, after all, you don't want to make yourself a liar, do you?

In the end, bad days will be inevitable. You can't control that. But you can control how you handle the bad days and your attitude toward them. Even if you are having an awful day, you can still make the choice to try like crazy to make it great anyway. I hope these 9 Easy Ways To Be Happier help you in that journey.