"Whatever you do in life, do what makes you happy".

Ok... so what is being truly happy?

Is happiness a smile, laughter, when your favorite coffee shop gets your order just right? Is it a warm, fuzzy feeling? I feel like for each person, happiness is a different thing. My cool, trendy, friend Hannah describes happiness as a moment where, "you wouldn't want to change what's happening". For me, happiness is being able to wake up, look in the mirror, and smile at the face staring back at you.

But here's the big question: how do we achieve happiness?

Today, there are a lot of answers to that question. You can be happy by making a lot of money and not having to worry about your finances. Or, you can have the "perfect" body and decide that your happiness comes from attaining that. Whether it's having a big circle of friends, buying a huge house, earning a college degree, or getting that big promotion, these are all common ways that society says happiness can be achieved. There's only one problem: all of these "successful" ways to be happy are fleeting.

Friends can leave you. The economy could crash. Your house could be destroyed. Even your "perfect" body won't last forever. So, how are we supposed to get happiness?

Happiness comes from a journey of finding yourself, and loving yourself for who you are. There are times in life where your self-confidence can be down, and I've definitely been there. The only way to get out of the pit of self-degradation is to realize that there is only one you. The world deserves to know the real you. Imagine how boring the world would be if everybody tried to be everybody else!

Loving yourself means making decisions that you want to make. It means having the confidence to say "no" to things you don't agree with. It means standing up for yourself when you feel like someone is degrading you. It means realizing that you have flaws, and your flaws are essential pieces that make up who you are.

Becoming a truly happy person is a long process. There's no 10-step program, or any way to do it quickly. It's hard and messy, and you have to spend a lot of time with yourself. But in the end, being happy with who you are is what leads to a happy life.