For a while now I've been having a tough time, a lot of things going on in my life that just have been bringing me down. I kept thinking "Why me?" And then I got sick of it, I got sick of asking myself that question over and over. Of course in my time of need, I went to my mother. My mom gave me some advice that'll stick with me for the rest of my life (thank god for moms!) Basically she told me I have to make a change in myself to see things change. Now, of course, we cannot stop every bad thing from happening in our lives but we can choose to see the good, we can choose to be happy. And when I took a step back and truly looked at my life I realized she was right. What we allow to happen, will happen. The universe has a funny way of taking all the things we don't want and giving them to us. However, the universe also has this amazing ability to give us exactly what we need if we let it. We have to start by changing ourselves.

When you wake up in the morning, take five minutes of your morning and think about the things you're grateful for and why you're grateful. Feel the gratitude, let it start your morning right. Allow yourself to be happy with what you do have and not what you don't. Then when you go to bed at night think about those things again, or think about new things you're grateful for. It truly allows you to put a perspective on your life. Try it for twenty-one days, they say a habit takes twenty-one days to stick. You'll start to notice a change in not only yourself but your life. You are in control of your life and what you choose to allow happen will. If you don't like your life, change it!

Instead of focusing on all the negatives in your life, all the things you don't have or all the things stressing you out you focus on what's good. Focus on what makes you happy, if taking a walk makes you happy, go for more walks. When we bring this positive energy to our everyday lives we attract more of the good stuff and who doesn't want more good in their lives? At first, it might seem hard to believe, but whenever you're having a bad day doesn't everything seem to go wrong all at once? The same applies to the good, choose the good.

Being happy isn't a luxury, happiness is a right everyone is entitled to.