I’m known as the girl in my friend group that is always smiling, making jokes (even if they are not always the funniest) and pushing people to do things that excite them (even if it means spontaneously going on trips). Yet the other day, for no reason at all, I found myself down.
I don’t know where it stemmed from or for what reason, but I knew instantly I didn’t like it.
I didn’t want to hide away in the deep corners of the library to not run into people or to have my mind wander to thoughts I haven’t thought of for years. Once you enter this slump, you just keep going down the rabbit hole and the deeper you go the harder it becomes to come out.
So I thought long and hard on what is it that makes me happy.
The answer definitely was not school. In fact, school was a major stress factor at times. However, I knew school is the stepping-stone to career path. Did my career path make me happy? Well, I can’t know for sure as I’m still in school, but essentially to a degree I would say no. But yet that was another stepping-stone to living a comfortable lifestyle I envision for myself. Does that make me one step closer to being happy? Yes, to a degree.
So what makes me truly happy? My friends, my family, my travels and my adventures. Trying new things, exploring new places, being a good friend. Those are all the things that make me genuinely smile.
Related: How Studying Abroad Changed My Life
So, while there are other aspects in life like school and work that we must learn to incorporate into our lives, let us not forget about things makes our lives worth living. Those are the things that we would do with no compensation, no recognition, nothing but the simply joy in our hearts. Because you could work all day, but what are you working toward if you cannot enjoy it in the meantime. In the end, you won’t like working nor the life you’ve built for yourself.
Happiness comes down to a science.
There are professors who study happiness and they say 50% of you happiness range comes from genetics. 10% comes for income, status, and other circumstances. According to a theory well researched by Headey and Wearing, there is 40% of potential happiness in your reach. Meaning even if you can’t change your genetics or your circumstances and situation you can still be proactive about your happiness. 40% of your happiness derives from you and what you choose to do or more realistic what you don’t do. This means no more blaming others for your unhappiness because even if all the other odds are against you, you have 40% of untapped potential of happiness easily accessible.
Do something about it; take your happiness into your hands (even though it’s been there the whole time).
What’s your happiness?