Recipe For Happiness

   Everyone deserves to be happy, but what does it take to achieve happiness? Of course this is a broad inquiry and everybody would have a slightly different interpretation. This post details mine. In order to be happy, one must possess the ability to brush off all of the more difficult and disheartening aspects that automatically come with life in general. You must be able to forget about the most negative portions of your life and move on to find more positive things to add to your plate. Only you can make yourself happy. Next, you must be willing to give. Believe it or not it has been proven that giving back increases endorphins in the human brain and creates an almost euphoric state in the life of the giver, if only temporarily. If you have the time or resources to donate to organizations that benefit those less fortunate, do it. You will never regret helping to better the life of another. Next, one must be willing and able to contain a strong love for oneself. You have to be confident in your abilities and in your characteristics first in order to have the faith that you can, in fact, be happy with yourself. Always look at your positive attributes first, and then consider the things you could possibly change. Then, you must be willing to do whatever it takes to improve those things. Once you are at peace with yourself as a whole, you'll find it much simpler to be content with your life. Next, you must rid yourself of negativity in your life, whether that be friends with bad habits or a job you cannot stand. As I've mentioned before, I recently was laid off from my long-term job. The very day it happened, I enrolled in school and began the path to better myself, for myself. I am so fortunate to have been given this opportunity! Next step - make time every day to do something you love. If you love animals, get a dog and play with it, if only for a few minutes each day. You'll be surprised how good you will feel afterward. The last step in being truly happy in your shoes is to treat others the way you want them to treat you. The way that you treat the people in your life, even the ones you don't personally know who only provide you with goods or services in passing, determines the way they want to treat you. People treat others the way that others treat them. It's human nature. If you want to be treated with kindness and generosity, provide others with the same respect. Your parents were right when they told you that this is the way the world works. I'm so glad I have finally realized all of this. Although I have just begun the process of bettering myself and my life, I am so much happier than I was one month ago. In closing, I'll just say that YOU alone are the key to your own happiness and there is no way around that. If you aren't willing to take the steps in bettering yourself and your own life, nobody else is going to do it for you. Best wishes!