Is happiness, true happiness, really that hard to come by? A lot of people think so, while I beg to differ. I think that if you have a reason to smile, you are lucky enough to experience something many people don’t believe is real.

As cliche as it seems, it really is the little things. Maybe you got to sleep in a little later than usual. Or maybe you did laundry and found a tenner in the back pocket of your jeans. Those things add up and if you think back on it, I’m sure you could make an awful long list of small, lively things to smile about. Those sort of things really do have an influence on your day, if you take the time to appreciate them.

That’s another thing, appreciation. Something that really bugs me is when people don’t take the time to thank a person when they do something for them. Really? It takes two seconds. If you are thinking you have no one to thank, think again. If you ride the bus, thank the bus driver. If you go to your classes, thank your teacher. They put a lot of time into your education. There are endless things to be thankful for.

I think that there are a few main keys to true happiness. One, value. Learn to value the people in your life. Your friends, teachers, coaches, and parents. They all make a huge impact on you as a person. Two, simplicity. Live a simple lifestyle and don’t depend on material items.

Those are a few key ways to be truly happy. I think that it really is a lot easier to be happy than what people set it out to be.