Well, never really expressed myself verbally before, so I apologize in advance for any sentence fragments or any otherwise unpleasing grammatical blunder. Who am I kidding, I don't really care!

Well I guess I'll start this off like one would do on the typical essay, say what you're going to say before you say it.. The objective of this passage is to open my mind to any readers so they can hopefully absorb my feelings and either ignore them or take them into consideration for either practical application or just general knowledge. Hopefully what I say below can be agreed with and used in some positive manner, if not, that's okay because I enjoyed writing this.

Are you happy?... Can be a question that maybe not many people will ask you, however, you should often ask yourself this simple 3 word enigma. Hopefully following this question you will begin to think things aren't so bad, things are going well, and I've been for the most part, fine. However, there will almost always be times where the answers are not so positive, times where you cannot convince yourself that even the things that make you smile are good enough.. ready for a metaphor? You find yourself stuck in a rut! (oh how cliché!) And for these moments, I might have some pointers.. will they work? It's really up to you..

The reason people feel discomfort with their feelings is for the most part directly related to their self esteem. General confidence goes a long way in determining a person's morality. So when someone may give you a compliment, the person lacking confidence will think that the other person is just saying that to make them happy, when really they might mean that they love your hair, or eyes, or smile, or anything that they might compliment you on; be it appearance or general characteristic. Take these compliments, embrace them. Convince yourself they're not lies, because 99% of the time (excluding sarcastic scenarios, of course) these compliments are sincere. Unless the person broadcasting these endorsements is doing so to make themselves seem more pleasing, they're usually spot on. Some people may not receive many compliments, and I can understand the frustration in this, the lack of worth a person may feel. And for people that may not get much compliments, or special presents, or any other way of letting you know you're being thought of, you may have to do more work. You may have to do what I love to do so often. Read on...

Do what makes you happy!

HA! Who would've thought? Too many people get caught up on getting judged for doing what they love. Even if you're not as skilled as others who may receive all the praise and honor, if doing it makes you happy, if you achieve satisfaction for doing your favorite hobby, do it. Anyone who tells you you're not good at something you love is an idiot. They're wrong. You're good at it if it makes you smile, if at the end of the day you can look back and realize that you had a good time, you're damn good at it, whatever it may be. This is where most people get caught up. I will use photography as an example. I just started in this, and am doing quite well for my time doing this, but I owe this ALL to endless hours of research, browsing, founding ideas, and planning, which is all doing what I love - gathering information about interesting things. I love to read on the internet, whether it be funny columns, or settings used to take a photo that captures the light in my eye. I see plenty of photographers who take fabulous photos with great composition, and I'm proud of them, however with some background and more understanding, they would be getting all the compliments from people all over the world. But that's not what matters, what matters is the feeling that this hobby gives you. To add to it, get some background, do some reading, gather ideas, and before you know it, the thing that you already love to do will become part of your learning curve, you will practice at it, find new ideas, express yourself more than you ever have and become happier than ever. I guess my moral to this is, do what you love, and practice what you love. Get inspired. Become all that you can be in whatever it is, and do it all for yourself, and the praise will follow with time.

Share happiness.

There is only one thing, to me, that is greater than being truly happy, and that is sharing it with others. Smile at a stranger, hold the door for someone at the mall, tell someone to have a great day. Simple things. You can even buy someone a card, the more random the better, but don't overdo it, then people might think you're fake. Try it someday, even if you're not truly having a good day, I bet if you tell someone else to have a wonderful day, and they smile at you for saying it, it'll instantly bring up your mood.

Find positivity everywhere. 'Cause it really is everywhere, no matter how slight.

It's annoying to always hear of negative thoughts, usually coming from the same people all the time. They think everything else is the problem, when really they need to look the other way. Having a bad day at work? It's all in how you perceive it. I have a stressful job full of negative people, but I usually have a smile on my face anyways, because it is what I make it. I go and work, chat a bit, and realize that I don't have it that bad. Everyone can do the same. Forget about all the bad things, there is almost always a lot more good things that you're just shadowing because of your mood. Think about the whole scene, not just about what's wrong with it.

And finally, be healthy..

Not only does it somehow make you more positive biologically, but it makes you believe in yourself more. Drink more water. Eat less junk, do some exercise. I'm not saying don't have a beer or a huge bag of Doritos, just don't do it all the time. Balance in nutrition is just as important as balance in emotion. When you feel better you'll think better, and smile more and be happy. Which is awesome and easy.

To wrap it up... I hope someone read this and took something from it, now that you've read it, go apply it. Read something funny to cheer you up, do something you love to do, share your feelings with others, listen to your favorite song, and sit back after it all and realize that you don't have it that bad. If you feel like you're not loved by others, at least be loved by yourself, because in the end of it all, that is the most important love to have.