Happiness doesn’t have to be something you hope to have sometime in the future. It’s totally in your hands to make it happen now. A lot of people search their whole lives for happiness. For some, this search becomes endless, resulting in doubt that the attainment of happiness can ever be accomplished.

Part of the problem might be that you’re searching outside of yourself. Happiness is not found anywhere but within you. We all have the power to choose right here and now. The things taking place in your life are immaterial because you choose how you’re going to let these external factors affect you.

Occasionally we experience just how harsh reality could be. There are simply things that are way beyond our control, people who we just can not change and circumstances that are just impossible to avoid. In times like these, we can choose peace. We could simply opt to forgive and experience an inner calm that gives us the strength to move on and continue.

In order for us to be able to use our power to choose happiness over everything else, we need to know what happiness is and what it truly means. Happiness is relative. Because we all came from different backgrounds, we do not share the same likes, dislikes, and pet peeves. Put differently, only you are able to really define what happiness means to you, and only you.

Many people are guilty of constantly making happiness a future occurrence by preceding every sentence they say with an “if” and a “when.” These phrases trap happiness in the future. Joy could be attained immediately by anyone, no ifs and buts about it. To make this even more possible, you need to focus on those things that leave you with a powerful feeling of gratitude. This might be your greatest tool because when you begin to focus on what you are grateful for, you can not help but feel hopeful and excited.

So take time everyday to sit and write about what you’re most grateful for. If you become vigilant with this practice, you will notice more and more things to be grateful for. The fact that you are alive or that it is a sunny day are the small things that you are able to smile about.

Happiness can be yours now. It’s entirely up to you to make the choice to claim it. Just know your worth. Everybody deserves to be happy, no matter what sort of person they were in the past. The point is, you just have to be happy about life in general and stop comparing yourself to others. No one has everything, and there are surely things you have that others do not. Life is just a big box of wonderful surprises. Though you may go through hard days, there are still blessings waiting for everybody along the way. Give yourself a chance and start seeing the glass half full. What sets optimists apart from the pessimists is their ability to succeed by simply being thankful for what they have, no matter how small it is or how little it is worth.