the time has come

I'm starting to realize how much of a choice happiness truly is.

if I have one bad thing happening in my life,

it does not have to affect every other aspect of my life.

while studying at this university it is not uncommon to be surrounded by people who strive for perfection.

people who want to go to grad schools across the world.

students who want to keep academic scholarships, be well rounded individuals, look fantastic, serve others, be the best church member in the world, and fall in love(gross).

I would be lying to say that I don't strive for MOST of these things MOST of the time.

But this semester I have been hit with the humility stick.

I can't do it all right now.

I don't have to do it all right now.

I can come up with all the plans I can and work as hard as I want, and I ultimately don't really get to be the final deciding factors in a lot of the outcomes.

I'm just required to do my best.

Isn't that a comforting thought.

Eternally speaking-

I'm not going to be miserable if I fail a test.

crazy, right?

I know so many people who think that life is over with less than a 90 on any assignment test or class.

These people, have hard lives.

I watch stress creep into their bodies and make a home.

Girls with pounds of potential feel like they are nothing.

Yet they still work so hard that they feel nothing but the constant hunger for future success.

Until that future success is reached-

They cannot take a break.

They don't sleep, they cry over everything, they wonder forever why they are single, they feel guilty when taking the time to interact with people...

And technically speaking, these people have "success".

But they don't KNOW it.

Nothing frustrates me more than the fact that they don't know how spectacular they really are!

People spend so much time looking at what they have yet to do that they don't realize all that they have done.

These people have success but never feel it.

Happiness my friends.

Happiness.

We choose to be happy.

We choose to look at what we have in our lives and then feel something about it.

It's beyond wonderful to look at the things that can make you smile!

When you find reasons to smile, fake or genuine, it's hard to feel any anger and it instantly relieves stress.

So though my life has been falling apart in what seems like every aspect-

I constantly look for things that make me smile.

And you know what, I've had very few sad days.

Because sadness is not worth missing out on what life truly is.

Happiness.