A few days ago, I was sitting in my Ethical Theory class at 6 p.m. I had three hours of lecture ahead of me, and while I enjoy philosophy a lot, I don’t think anyone really ever likes the idea of having to sit through a night class. I went into this class expecting to take some notes, get my test back from the week before, and then go home. I was shocked to find that on that particular Wednesday night, this class actually served as a motivational talk I didn’t know I needed. My professor’s words struck me like lightning.

Grateful people are happy people.

I repeated this sentence in my head a few times, as I listened to the rest of the lecture. Having things doesn’t make us happy, just as lacking things doesn’t make us unhappy. We can be happy with nothing or miserable with a lot; it all depends on our mindset. We can be grateful for what we do have and find happiness in that.

Happy people aren’t grateful because they’re happy, they’re happy because they’re grateful.

A few months ago, I don’t think I would have listened to a word of this lecture or taken any of it to heart. I was still stuck in my mindset that everything was going horribly and the only way to find happiness was to bring back what was lost. Now, as a bit of time has passed and I am allowing myself to see the brighter things that surround me, these words ring so true.

When we’re sad, we think that it’s due to a lack of good things. When tragedy strikes, our vision allows us only to see the things we are missing or the hardships that were brought. We tend to think, “Well, I’d be happy if I had this” or “Obviously she’s happy, she has that which I don’t have.” But, does happiness really lie in things or people? The answer is a resounding no. Of course, certain things and people can add some happiness to our lives, but the moment we begin to think that they are the reason for our happiness is the moment that we will find that happiness is slipping away from us.

Having a nice house won’t make you happy. Having a good job won’t make you happy. Having a boyfriend won’t make you happy. Happiness is a feeling, a mindset, and an emotion that comes and goes. We can choose to be happy by choosing to be grateful. Not having a nice house, good job, or boyfriend does not have to affect our happiness at all. Not one bit.

Living gratefully leads to living happily. We can be miserable thinking of all the things we wish we had, or we can be truly thankful for the things we do have. We may have problems with friendships, relationships, roommates, work, school, family, or life in general, but we can still find good things around us.

We can be grateful for the sun that rises each day, the Good Lord who guides us, the friends that surround us, the schoolwork that invites us, the food we consume, the beauty we possess in ourselves, the ability to do the things we’re good at, and the bright future that awaits us.

There are so many things to be grateful for, which means there are so many ways to choose to be happy.

I never thought one Ethical Theory class would change my thinking in such an immediate way. Grateful people are happy people. It doesn’t matter what you have or don’t have. The richest people in the world may be the most miserable, just as the poorest people may be the happiest (and usually are!). It all lies in our perspective. We have to choose to see the good, choose to be grateful, and that is where we choose to be happy. Start by finding one thing to be grateful about every day, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Think about it, be grateful for it, and maybe even write it down in a journal. Do this, and you may just find yourself feeling happier every day.