What is happiness? People have and still are in search of this weird concept. They don't quite know where to find it and look in awe at others to seem to be genuinely happy. They wonder: how are other people so happy? Honestly, I have asked this question so many times and I have not figured out an answer to it yet. I think of it as one of the most thought provoking questions in history because happiness is different for everyone. For example, I am happy while watching Grey's Anatomy and eating ice cream. That is my happy place. For others, it can vary from hiking, cooking, writing, taking pictures etc. All of these depend solely on a person as well as their personality and hobbies (other things along those lines).

However, I think the underlying way people can become more happy is to cherish life's moments (as cliché as that sounds), maintain a close relationship with God, letting go of the past, and not let failures define their personality.

1. We, as humans, tend to overlook how beautiful and awesome our lives are compared to others around us. We bicker and complain when things do not go our way or say life sucks when we do not get something we deserve. We almost always think that life is bad. I beg to differ. Even if everything seems to be going wrong at the moment, there will be always one positive thing. If we take time to focus on that, life will seem that much more beautiful. In my case, this past school year, I did not pass one of my pre-med classes. I did spend a lot of time complaining about the teacher, subject and the actual class. However, the next day, the most amazing thing happened! I got accepted for a job I applied for and focusing on that helped me regain myself.

2. The second most important aspect to cultivate and grow is faith in God or some other thing. Since I have grown up in a Christian home and environment, God is and has been a big portion of my life. He is the anchor that helps me hold down all my stresses and craziness. This has tremendously helped me so much in desperate times of trials. It gives me immense amount of comfort that there is a God who is taking care of me and looking out for my future. Romans 8:28: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." This is the verse that has been a huge help for me when things seem uncertain.

3. Thirdly, the past was something that always haunted me and sucked the happiness right out of me. I let it take control of me for a long time until I realized what was happening and put an end to it. Entertaining the past is something we all do. It is very common and human. However, letting it consume us is another thing. We need to avoid doing this if we want our lives to be happy. Think of it like the past can no longer be changed, but the future is in our hands to take charge and make the best of it.

4. Failures and set backs are definitely what try us the most. It strips away every hope, peace and self-confidence we may have. My first year at college was definitely like this. It was complete with failure after failure, fall after fall. At one point, I did not know how to get back up on my feet. But, I pushed myself to restart and discover the potential in me to learn from these failures. I learned that these are what makes me me, and I cannot let it get the best of me. I decided to not succumb and instead rise above and dream bigger things and do everything possible to achieve them.

I just want to say one last thing and that is: Just be yourself and look at yourself as a capable, achieving, strong, and gift to this Earth. I promise you this will make you happy and set you on the right path to success.