Happiness is this elusive feeling that we find occasionally, only to lose it again within seconds; but happiness isn’t something that we find, it is something that happens within ourselves. We experience it all the time, sometimes in never-ending waves and sometimes in droughts. Lululemon has a great quote from their manifesto, “The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.”  When thinking about these simple words, it makes complete sense. We as individuals strive so hard to be happy by buying items, searching for relationships, and trying to be content. But, all of that doesn’t make someone truly, genuinely happy. We can search for happiness, yet it will never be found, only experienced, through loving life. 

We go through ups and downs constantly, and to be honest, I have experienced more downs than most people. I have tried so hard to find happiness, and I didn’t truly feel it until I started to really live. In college, it is easy to get wrapped up in the bad things happening and to forget what it feels like to be authentically happy. Here is my guide to just bein’ happy. 

Be with your people- Friends and family are the source of laughter, trust, honesty, craziness, and are the individuals who know you the best. By surrounding yourself with great people, you liberate yourself to be open to new experiences, do amazing things, and be yourself.  

Take care of yourself- I was once told the greatest investment you could ever put time and money into is yourself, which makes sense when you think about staying fit and healthy to ward off colds, sickness and future diseases. This also applies to physical fitness. It is proven that physical activity and a healthy body image is linked to natural anti-depressants, higher confidence levels, increased brain functionality, and increased social interactions. It goes back to the simple line, “what you put into yourself, is what you will get out of your body.”P.S- rest is important too! 

Stop searching- The moment you stop searching and faking happiness is the second your awareness of being happy begins. We don’t realize that we automatically create these fake personas and reasons to make up for the things we lack. By simply taking a step back, we allow ourselves to think about and pursue what truly matters most to us.  Stop looking. Be content and grateful for your life and the opportunities you already have.

Be grateful- We are so blessed to go to college, have the opportunity to pursue what we want to do with our lives, and make something of ourselves. We forget that there are others who are much less fortunate and don’t have this opportunity. We are so truly privileged to go to the best school in the world. GO FROGS. 

You don’t need someone to be happy- Life is about you- how you deal with adversity, love, education, money, family, and friends, and it is great to be able to share all of the good and the bad with someone. However, we feel we need to have someone and forget that it’s okay to be single. There is a difference between being alone and loneliness. Understanding the difference is crucial. 

Put more faith in God- This may not apply to everyone, but I believe it is really important. Over the last year, I found that the more belief I had in God and more time I spent working on my relationship with Him, the happier I became. You don’t need to go to church everyday to do this. Everyone experiences God in their own individual way, so spend time with him and looking at yourself. You may find and realize you have been searching for something within you this entire time. 

Love yourself – this is by far the hardest of all. For some reason, we can never be content with ourselves. We always want to look better because we constantly focus on our imperfections. Why can’t we be happy with who we are? Are you not good enough? We all have something amazing to offer to one another and this world. I believe in that. I believe in people, and that each and every individual person is beyond good enough. If you believe in that too, then reflect on the reasons why you love yourself, because to be honest, you are pretty amazing. 

Make your own memories- Love life, live it to the max, and happiness will be a byproduct of challenging yourself to live life to the fullest. 

These may not apply to everyone, but happiness is something that we all want to feel. We want to feel it like a drought needing water. There are going to be ups and downs, but the most important thing is to chase life. Chase what you love to do, people you love, love yourself, be content, smile more, challenge yourself in every way possible, live a life you love and when you least expect it, you will liberate happiness within yourself and others.