Being happy is a choice. It's something that's been drilled into my head since I was very little. I never believed it was true when I was younger. I thought happiness was uncontrollable and uncontainable. Happiness strikes when it does, and it flees then it's done. I didn't think it was able to be created or held onto. I was a moody adolescent, and my parents always told me I needed to be less negative. But I always felt like it was out of my control. I've a naturally negative person, and I've always felt cursed with this. When I was younger, I used to wish to feel consistent happiness.

As I got older and wiser, I realized that happiness was a choice, and I decided to make that choice every day. I've been a happier person ever since.

But making that choice isn't always easy. Sometimes choosing to be happy is the hardest thing to do. Using your brain to make serotonin can be exhausting, and it is a lot easier to just be miserable. Laying on the floor listening to the Arctic Monkeys is a lot easier than going to the gym, joining a new club or planning a trip somewhere new and exciting. Isn't it so much easier to space out watching Netflix on the couch than pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones to meet new people or a try a new thing? There are so many days that I wonder if the decision to be happy is truly worth the effort.

But it is. It is, it is, it is.

Happiness is worth the fight. It's worth the struggle and pushing because eventually you push yourself to the other side to true happiness. I've sometimes struggled to push myself, especially in recent months, but I always at least try to do it. If I feel unhappy consistently, I try to find reasons why I might not be happy. I just to make changes, whether it's joining a new club or getting a new job or meeting new people to hang out with. I exercise more, whether it's walking to class when I usually don't or going to the gym when I usually wouldn't. I think positive thoughts, whether it's writing nice quotes on my planner or thinking of three things I'm grateful for every day. I take a nice shower or eat a good meal. And I always remind myself things will get better.

Do what you have to do to be happy, as long as you're being kind to yourself and kind to others. Don't be afraid to reach for something or don't be afraid to say no to something that isn't for you. In my opinion, happiness is one of the most important parts of being alive. I think we get so caught up trying to chase the wrong things that we lose sight of being happy.

I'm not saying it's easy or virtuous to choose happiness; it's just how I've managed to find personal peace in my life. I will wake up and choose happiness every day. Even when I'm tired or lost or unsure, I know the one choice I will always make.