Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present. -John Rohn

How to Live a Happier Life
Living life to the fullest means facing your fears, going out on a limb, and doing things you usually wouldn’t. At times, you probably think that planning out your life 5 years in advance would make things easier. And with things being easy, comes more happiness. Happiness is a feeling that can’t truly be bought. People are aware that experiences make them happier, but yet they use money on material objects such as kitchen knives, towels, or a new 50-inch flat screen TV. They mistakenly believe that the objects have greater value. People do this because material items are physical; they have measurable economic value attached to it; and they’re always present, able to be used or seen. I get that some things can definitely make people happier, such as Netflix. Do you realize how much time I spend watching different TV series on Netflix? Here’s the thing, that type of happiness won’t last. Whereas, memories of experiences are temporary purchases with no price tag. Experiences are what guide you to living a better life. But, there are other ways to live a happier life, whether that’s trying new things over even changing your daily routine.

Nobody is the exact same when it comes to happiness. What might make me happy, might not make Richard from the dairy farm, happy. But, from reading this, you should at least get the main idea.

Spend time with family
Around the teenage years of life, hanging out with family doesn’t really seem like the most fun or ideal thing to do. Spending time with family is one of the best ways to create unforgettable experiences. Family is crucial. They will love you unconditionally and will always make time to spend with you. Sometimes if you can’t go out, have a family game night or watch a movie. No matter who comes and goes in your life whether that’s friends, relationships, or even coworkers, family will always be here. You will make time for the people that mean the most to you.

Spend time with friends
Think of your friends as the people that help guide you through life. Fitting in time for friends is sadly one of the first things to go when life gets busy, and before you know it – you hardly know the person you used to call your best friend. But there are ways to prevent that from happening. Schedule to hang out with your friends, that way if something comes up, you already have plans with them! Spending time with your friends is one of the few pleasures in life that cost very little but yet have a huge impact.

Spend time with Boyfriend/Girlfriend
I know that being in a relationship can come with drama but when you get really close to someone, majority of the time is full of fun, laughs, and good memories. For example, my boyfriend is probably my best friend, so even when we just go to the store, we have fun. You can’t carry out a good, solid, relationship without spending time together. Everyone has their own views on relationships. For me, I’m picky. I can’t just go date any person I see. So whenever I find that person, I cherish the time and things we do together. I’ve shared so many crazy, fun, great and even bad memories with my boyfriend and I love all of it. It’s also a “live and learn” process. If you don’t end up marrying the person you’re with, and grow old together, then take that relationship and learn from it to better the next.

Get more sleep
Sleep is so important to the well-being. I personally don’t get as much sleep as I should during the school week and that is definitely something I need to work on. Sometimes I wake up cranky and sometimes I’m completely fine. It also depends on the person. But all in all, sleeping makes majority of the people happier.  Research suggests how much we sleep is inextricably linked to our overall happiness. When we’re sleep deprived, our risk for depression increases and we’re more likely to experience higher stress levels.

Being confident
Loving yourself is key to being happy. We’ve all heard the saying “you have to learn to love yourself before you can love others”. I had another topic point about exercise but I decided that it fit into this category. When you exercise, you automatically feel better about yourself. Exercising may not be very enjoyable in the process, but the outcome is worth it. I personally don’t like “working out” but I enjoy playing basketball which is keeping in shape. We need to take pride in who we are and what we have because we’ve worked hard to achieve so many things in life. We may not succeed in everything, but that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. We must learn to see ourselves as the most important person and do not let anyone make us feel less important than them.

Surround Yourself with People Who Love You
When you surround yourself with people who love you then, you are more likely to make the better decisions. If you’re hanging out with the “wrong crowd”, you’re more likely to do something you wish you wouldn’t have. With that being said, not getting in trouble will probably make you happier. I’ve been around someone who isn’t the best influence. That's when I had to decide if hanging out with this person was really worth it. Or I had to have enough self discipline to not get involve with anything that could get me in trouble. Surround yourself with people that will love you unconditionally and will support you you through anything.

Travel
I’ve never really had the opportunity to travel to many places. I had one vacation that I went to Arizona with family and friends. Arizona isn’t the most ideal place to travel to but I will never forget going to the Grand Canyon. Words cannot describe how amazing it was. I realized that, that was just a glimpse of what this world has to offer. I get that sometimes vacations can be stressful, but there are ways to have an easy trip if you prepare. Being organized will make traveling more enjoyable. Traveling is a way to create experiences that you will never forget.

Do What You Love
Discovering what you want to do in life is, for many people, a life-long pursuit. From the time you graduate college you start asking yourself what career would best suit your interests and skills, but often you choose something different than your instinctual response to that question. A lot of people are focused on pay. Doing something you love will be more worth whatever the pay rather than the pay for the job you hate. Or maybe you don’t even have a job and you just want to focus on more “activities”. Get more involved whether that’s playing the drums in the school band or even playing on a club volleyball team. If you love to sing, then join choir. Doing what you love is a huge step to happiness so you might as well start now.