What Is "Happiness"?

As teenagers, all we want is to be happy, but what does it really mean to be happy?

    Oxford dictionary defines the adjective "happy" to be "feeling or showing pleasure or contentment" and I feel like most of us will agree with this definition. When your happy you feeling like you're walking on clouds and nothing can get in your way. All your worries and fears just vanish for that time period and you just feel unstoppable. Happiness is easy to find. It can be waiting for you in between the pages of your favorite book, sitting between you and your best friend on the couch as you watch your favorite tv show, or even laughing along when your having a hysterical conversations with your parents. As human beings, we show happiness through smiles and laughter. Isn't it amazing how one month old babies already know how to laugh when they don't even know what you're saying? Everyone loves smiling and filling their ears with laughter, but sometimes it's hard to be "happy" - especially as a teenager. 

    Teenage years are most commonly described as "the years when you find out who you are" and as much as we hate hearing over and over again, it is true. We are trying to figure out which corner of high school we fit into and who we really are - I promise you I am not heading towards a cliché definition - but sometimes along the way we fall into wells, which vary in depth. Some fall into deep deep wells that seem to be never ending while others feel like they are falling for only a few seconds. However different these two wells sound, they both contain lucky coins scattered on the floor with a rope beside it to pull ourselves up. I know that sometimes your arm muscles get tired from all that pulling and trying to fix things, but never let go. Why? Because you can do it!. You - the person reading this article - are strong, you are brave and you can do it. Soon enough you will reach the top of the well, just imagine yourself in that situation, standing on top while your cape floats behind you in the wind.

    Now is the second hardest part, how do you stay on top and make sure you don't fall into another well? You learn from your mistakes! Why else is there an eraser that is attached to every pencil. As hard as it may be, sometimes you have got to learn to let go of certain things. Haven't we all had that friend who was fun to be around but you know that you are only hurting yourself by having them around? Maybe it's time to let go of him/her. It's hard, trust me I know, but when you finally walk the other direction you will feel sense of relief, a sense of happiness. Sometimes it isn't the friend that hold you back, sometimes it's yourself - like a bad habit. Those are hard as well, but with the help of a plan you can accomplish anything and finally be happy. The most important thing is that YOU are happy.

Happiness:
A feeling or showing of pleasure or contentment.

-SB

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