vow to be happy.

What does being happy actually mean? Being content? Not wanting to change a single thing? Perfection? Many of us make promises to ourselves to just "be happy." To stress less, to live in the moment, to just be. To exist without feeling the desire for more. But when broken all down, does it mean living to a certain standard? Does it mean having a certain level of income? A certain relationship? A certain job? A certain body weight? Does it have to do with your access or ability to have certain things in life? 

To a dictionary, happiness is associated with good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy. But is that what happiness means to you? Do you think happiness is a way of life? Can it truly be permanent? Or is it a temporary feeling; only occurring when you are doing something you truly love? Is happiness a personal choice? 

So many of us vow to happiness, yet within just days find ourselves struggling to stay afloat. The key to achieving happiness is not to think it's a single determined destination to be reached someday. Happiness is today. Happiness is now. We have to recognize that hardships are part of life, and it's how we chose to deal with those challenges that will determine whether or not we can truly just be happy. We must learn to embrace the struggle, just as we embrace the joy. It, like to many things in life, comes down to perspective and outlook. We must chose to look to today with optimism; we must be willing to take on whatever life throws at us. Recognize that what doesn't kill us will make us stronger. And that no matter what we do, no matter how hard we try, we will all experience things that challenge that happiness.

So the real question is, what are you going to do to protect and ensure your happiness?