Hey everyone! First thing first, thank you to Erika for
including me in this series of guests posts. I am so excited to be
participating! Truth be told, this is my first time as a guest blogger and I am
kind of nervous. But, I love Erika’s
idea of “The Happiness Project” for this post and it’s right up my alley so
here goes!
When I was younger, I spent a lot of time focusing on how my
life could be different. And trust me, there was always something that could be better about my life. (And I have a
feeling I am not the only one guilty of thinking this way…) But once I hit 20
earlier this year I kind of decided that while happiness is and always will be
a priority, I’m truly more concerned with falling in love with my life. Every.
Single. Aspect. Of. It. I decided that I wanted to learn to be able to take the
good with the bad and still manage to be thankful for everything I am lucky
enough to have at the end of each day. Easier said than done, right?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m definitely still guilty of the
occasional meltdown over something arbitrary. I lose sight of what’s important
and I beat myself up for things I should have said or done. I forget that all
the “no’s” I’ve encountered up to this point aren’t in fact barriers to leading
to a fulfilling and happy life, but just a change of direction. Another open
door, if you will.
As my 21st birthday approaches this October
(!!!), I look back on this year as one of the happiest years of my life. After
two years of feeling completely and utterly lost,
it was refreshing to get to know myself again. And if anything, those two years
(18 & 19, I’m looking at you) taught me that when life throws you the worst
curveballs imaginable, you are the only one who has the power to change your
thoughts. Sadness and anger are the easiest emotions to feel because you have
nothing to lose. But happiness is worth everything. Happiness is hard to feel
because you have everything to lose.
I spent a lot of time refusing to feel anything that could
make me happy for an extended period of time. But I’ve found in the past year
just what happiness really is. Happiness is being comfortable with yourself,
your thoughts, opinions, and choices. It’s being comfortable with who you are
and learning to be ok with where you are in the now. Happiness is learning to stop looking around every corner for
a better tomorrow and to live for the present day. Happiness is loving your
friends, your family. Happiness is putting aside the things (or people) that
hold you back and getting to know your real
self. Happiness is living for every moment, the good and the bad. Because
if you can’t experience everything wholeheartedly—every heartbreak, every “I
love you”, every tear—then how do you know what happiness is at all?
Live for every
moment, that’s when you’ll find true happiness.
Over at Class and Sass, Emily writes a lifestyle blog. And as a senior at Vermont University, she's got some really thought provoking takes on life. Such as The Problem with Skinny where she incorporates her own life into a positive message - much like a mini Mindy Kaling
If you'd like to join The Happiness Project, feel free to fill out this form and look for your post in the upcoming weeks!
