In a culture so centered on commerce and multiplying your monetary intake, we tend put an extreme amount of thought into what makes us successful or unsuccessful. We’re told from the moment that we can walk and talk that we had better start preparing for high school so that we can prepare for college so that we can prepare for working in a professional field so that we can prepare for… what?

What good is all of this stress about the dreaded “future” doing us? What happens after all is said and done and all you have to show for your entire life is a load of money or a fancy car or a bogus degree that you suffered through? We are so used to telling ourselves that the amount of cash in our pocket is what determines the level of success that we have reached. Maybe we should think about what can actually make us happy, what can actually help us enjoy life.

Being successful isn’t just being a doctor or a lawyer. It isn’t following exactly in your families footsteps. Success isn't a cookie cutter representation of the perfect life. It isn't this ideal image that society has created for us to strive for. Success is doing what you love. It’s showing up to work every day, wearing your toothiest grin, and enjoying your day. Success is coming home from a long day to a place that you’ve made your own. Success is living your happiest and healthiest life.

If you aren’t doing exactly what you love, then start. Start now by really contemplating what you’re working toward. Are you going to school just because you’re scared not to? Are you working a 9-5 job simply because that’s what you were told was acceptable? Are you really living your life for you, or just for the “success”? If so, you won’t ever be happy.

The only way for us to truly be happy, is to just do what actually makes us happy. If you spend all of your free time drawing or painting, then become an artist. If you love to help animals, apply at your local Humane Society. Hell, if you love to bake pies, then make it your goal to open up your own pie shop and do what you’re passionate about every single day of your life. The universe isn’t going to wait for you. We have one life to live, so why not spend it as happy as you can possibly be?