How to Be Happy: Life Hacks for a Teenager

For those who need encouragement.

Lately alot of people in my life are having trouble seeing their way out of depression. If you're one of them, and you can't see yourself in a better place, please have faith in the future. Yes there are days when you just want to crawl in a hole and let the world pass without you, but there'll always be little joys that bring you back to life. Have faith in that.

Though its beyond hard to accept, happiness is in your hands. Only you can make yourself happy. You can waste time moping in regret and sadness, or YOU CAN CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY about things. Everyone has crap that they go through in life. There are always going to be people who have it better than you and who have it worse than you. Nothing's easy, but you can choose how you feel about it. Even if you can't see the light at the moment, force yourself to be happy. Fake it until you actually start to believe it, and you will.

Take some time to learn about yourself. When things are going bad for you, sit back and reflect on your identity. You don't need that toxic friendship, or significant other, or anyone's approval to rely on. BUILD YOURSELF. Learn about your strengths and weaknesses, you pet peeves, your skill gaps, your hobbies; figure out what you want in life and reach for it.

There's always going to be people who doubt your talent, saying you're not good enough. Screw them. If you know you want to accomplish something, THEN DO IT. Show them what you can do. No one is holding you back but yourself. Ignore those fears of failure and rejection, you can do it.

Success is only 10% talent and 90% passion. If you want something, don't waste your time thinking you can do it later when you have more money or more time or more talent. You're just wasting your time and potential. Start that blog that you've always wanted to do, change your major, make a video, write a book; DO EVERYTHING YOU'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO. Sure, you're probably going to fail a couple times along the way, but you'll never understand the meaning and magnitude of success without failure. Use failure to build yourself into a better person.

If you feel like you can't seek your dreams right now because of financial situation, or obligation, or just fear, that's understandable. But take small steps to your dream. If you want to be whatever you see yourself and your identity as, then fight for it. Do little things that gets you closer. Start teaching yourself, start practicing, start talking to your role models, START TAKING STEPS to your dream. Nothing and no one can stop you.

Learning is the best way to achieve. There's always something you can do to better yourself. It can be as crazy as reading up on basket weaving or learning tae kwon do, just because. If you have an interest in something then learn about it. INVEST IN YOURSELF and discover a bigger identity. With each investment into something you like, you're letting yourself be happy and you're letting yourself BE YOURSELF.

Some day, and I promise you there will be a day, when that dream of yours becomes a reality all the crap that you went through to get there will be completely worth it. Nothing bad that has ever happened to you will even come close to wrecking that sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth that you will feel. So keep that vision in your mind and use it to get you through the bad days. Have faith in the uncertainty of the future. Yes there will be failures, broken hearts, and other darker trials, but there's always gonna be bright moments that will relieve you of the darkness.

Please don't ever give up on yourself. Everything happens for a reason; YOU HAPPENED FOR A REASON. You are amazing and beautiful and smart and quirky and all-around freakin' awesome and don't let anyone taint your image of yourself. You are meant to touch lives, to change the world. YOU WILL DO GREAT THINGS. I promise. Have faith in yourself, in the future, in your dreams. You can do it. Be happy. Help others. Dream big. And when you reach that moment, that vision of the future, when you feel completely in tune with your identity, don't forget to remember that feeling and thrive in it.

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If you didn't notice, this post is a bit different from my usual posts. I just really wanted people to know that there's always going to be bad days but you can choose to be happy and be yourself. If you don't take anything from this, at least know that your dreams ARE achievable. 

What's something that you've always wanted to do (and you're going to do it soon)? Comment below!

Let me know how you feel about this post.