A Little Thing Called Life

There are over 6 billion people living in our world today. How many of them are truly happy and content with their lives?

If you were to walk down the street and ask someone if they were happy, I bet u most would first hesitate and then either walk away or think about it and say "yeah, I guess so". Some would give you a list of things they would change and others would ask "what is happiness?"

Is there a person out there who is 100% happy with who and what they are?

The thing about life is that it has so many moving parts that it makes it hard to keep up. There are worries up the wazoo and too many responsibilities people fear they must live up to. Responsibilities we put upon ourselves and which we can just as easily take away.

Where did all the joy go and why is it so hard for people to follow their hearts and live a life they always wished to live?

Every worry we have is the effect of not having done something to change an action or decision that would have made us happy. That is how regrets are born and people fall into places they never thought in a million years they would be in. This is why it is always important to think things through before you act.

One of the biggest concerns in life today is wealth. People find that money equals happiness when that could not be further from the truth. I can't tell you how many people I know whom to which money is no object, who are some of the most miserable people I have ever met. They worry about expenses and what possessions will show status. Just because you can buy 5 different luxury cars, travel the world, and build a big house, doesn't mean any of it makes you happy. Sure there is comfort, but there are people living in a shack who are happier. Happier because the materialistic things in life don't provide a true happiness, they only provide a temporary thrill that fades with time.

When life shows you the way to rule out materialism, we face the realities. The realities of relationships. For it is these that hold in hand the true happiness life possesses.

First there is the relationship one has with his/her family. And to be clear the family is the one you are born into, not the one you marry into nor the one we make. Children bring joy in a different light, but there needs to be a right time and a right relationship for children to be a blessing. Many couples have children thinking it will bring them closer together and it ruins marriages and makes people miserable.

The relationship with your family is one that helps you get through life as these are the people who were there from the start and will love you no matter what happens. These are the building blocks to our happiness. Our parents, sisters and brothers are the ones who you can usually count on if you are ever in trouble. When growing up, they held the key to our happiness. When we got a good grade or did something well, they were the first people we ran to in order to bring them the good news and get the praise we craved. They were the bearers of the "good job honey" or "wow, way to go kiddo". In the support we got from our parents, came the feelings of happiness. And if every now and then they threw in a vacation or a present or two, I'm sure we didn't complain either.

The complaining came when we got in trouble, grounded or didn't get the Nintendo game we were begging for. Sure we weren't happy at those moments, but they were the natural process of life, growing up and learning. We need the disappointments in order to realize how good the good really is.

With every day endeavors and relationships, there isn't only happiness. Nobody can be happy all the time, but we need to realize what is taking over, the happiness or the unhappiness? What weighs more on our emotional state and what is negatively affecting us being cheerful on a regular basis?

When we need help figuring things out, yes we're not all perfect savants, we usually turn to our friends. This is the next relationship that becomes important in our lives. As we get older, we create lasting friendships with people we trust, love, and depend on. When major events happen in our lives, new boyfriends/girlfriends, breakups, marriage proposals, or even the basic news, our friends are usually the first to know and the first to offer excitement or a shoulder to cry on. They're the ones who know the most about us, and offer opinions even when we don't ask for them. They become maids of honor, or godfathers, and the people we rely on for support when things get rough. We confide in them our secrets and desires and spending time with these people brings happiness.

Most of our happiness in life comes from spending time with the people we love and care for the most. Whether it be going to Six Flags, or sitting at home watching a movie and ordering take out, the happiness comes from their company and not the food you ordered or the movie you couldn't decide on.

Friends are important to keeping up your morale. This is why it is essential to have true friends, the genuine ones who are there for you and really care for your well being. Friends you can call whenever you are down who will be there to give you the best unbiased advice that will serve your best interest and not theirs.

Along with friendships come relationships with the opposite sex: Boyfriends and Girlfriends. Although these are fluid, for most of us will go through a few before we find the one, these relationships are similar to those you have with your friends, only more intimate. The romantic relationships are best when with someone you can call your best friend. The one you can tell everything to, and to whom, most importantly, want to tell everything to. The one who you fall in love with and the one you feel like you can't live without. There is no happiness like the one true love can bring. And if you're lucky enough to find it, don't let it go.

Usually our relationships affect our moods. So when you're in a good romantic loving relationship, it's hard to be unhappy. Today we find too many people in unhappy marriages or relationships. There are also those who are unhappy single and are just looking for that special somebody.

The problem associated with these situations is that we surround ourselves with petty nonsense, like partying, drinking, and hooking up thinking it's what will make us happier. We cover up our problems with superficialities that mask the truth behind the closed doors. In ignoring our emotions we are just lying to ourselves and putting ourselves in a state of denial instead of dealing with the bigger issues at hand that eventually always creep up to the surface.

Above all, the relationship you have with yourself is the most important. For if you don't have faith in yourself and are not happy with who you are, who will be? It is vital to always be true to yourself even if you can't be true to the people around you.

One should always be reminded that it is never too late to try and be happy. Until you are 6 feet underground, everyday, you are still part of this little thing we call life. Until that time comes, we all need to look around and figure out what makes us happy and go for it.

Many people today don't have it in them to go after what makes them happy. They don't have the courage to fulfill those desires, those needs, or goals. Too many people are settling instead of going out there and following those innocent dreams we had growing up. Why is it that fear can overwhelm us as adults and yet it never graced our presence when we were young?

In life, people let themselves get consumed and controlled by fear when the best thing to do is just dive in and go for it. Whenever you're scared it means there's opportunity and nobody should let the opportunity to be happy escape. In the world we live in we settle more than we take chances and don't realize how much LIFE we have taken out of LIVING.