We're all guilty of it: Relying on others to make us happy. This is a habit that we need to break. You are the only person that controls your thoughts, actions, and happiness. People can influence your mood and your level of happiness, but you ultimately decide what tears you down and what doesn't. Who told you that you can only be happy by relying on others? Who said you can't be happy unless you have someone to create happiness for you?These are questions you need to ask yourself because nobody can give you all the happiness in the world and you need to stop believing they can. Making your own happiness can be a process, it's something you are always working towards, but it's something you should never give up on.

First, you need to realize it's okay to be human. People will be rude, break your heart, and make you upset. It's okay to acknowledge sadness and anger. You should accept the fact that you won't always be happy and it's okay to be sad sometimes. Feeling emotions is part of the human experience, therefore it's necessary to go through. Also, if you never experienced sadness, you would never truly know what happiness is. However, don't ever let sadness consume you. You have the choice to fight it, and you can do it.

The part of controlling your happiness comes into play when you portray your emotions. Though you may be feeling sad on the inside, fight to act upon it on the outside. Be sad, then get right back up again, taking the time you need to recover. If you sulk in sadness and binge eat or sleep all day to fight the blues, you won't be happy again. You decide how to react to situations, other people don't force reactions upon you. When someone breaks your heart, find a way to become happy without them. When you lose a best friend, find a way to become happy without them. Move on and let sadness be something of the past. You're capable of getting over hard things and you will get over heartbreaks and losses. Get up and remember at the beginning of every day you are the controller of your life and you control what you do and say, so aim towards happiness, even when it seems hard to do.

Be proud of yourself for small accomplishments. If you've been having a hard time getting out of bed, be proud of yourself when you've gotten out of bed for the day. If you're too sad to talk to anyone, pat yourself on the back when you do. Taking baby steps is better than taking no steps at all. Progress is continuous, you won't just feel relief and happiness in every small accomplishment, but everything helps.

Happiness isn't just a feeling, it's a lifestyle. Think positive thoughts, live without people who've left you, and be proud of yourself for moving forward. If you're constantly living in a negative mind, it's impossible to lead a positive life. Living a life of happiness isn't easy, but it's doable and you don't have to rely on anyone else to give it to you. You should be someone you can count on to make you happy. Do what you like, feel everything without fighting it, but don't dwell on the negative emotions for too long because you're the one who has the power to turn them into positive ones.

Strive for happiness every day of your life even when it seems impossible. You have power over yourself, so take that power into use and stop letting people control how you feel. Happiness is a feeling, a lifestyle, something to constantly work towards, and it's up to you to pursue it. True happiness can only come from yourself, not from other people.

"Don't wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get you've got to make for yourself." -Alice Walker