Bad things happen. It’s a part of life. It sucks and makes you wanna slam your head against a brick wall. In fact, I just wrote the best blog post I’ve ever written (in my humble opinion); I was super impressed with myself and couldn’t wait for people to read it. Then, somehow, I lost it. It didn’t save properly and suddenly it was gone–lost in cyberspace never to be seen again. Sitting with tears in my eyes, my mouth hung open thinking about the irony of it all. My “Lost Blog” was about YOUR happiness depending on YOU, about sucky things happening but feeling happy despite it all.

I am now forced to heed my own advice. To remember what I discussed, breathe, and apply it to my own situation. The universe sure has a funny sense of humour and I could continue to be upset or I could laugh about it, move on, and write. I chose the latter.

I chose the latter because I know that everyone faces roadblocks and hurdles. Shitty things happen to all of us but saying “Bad things always happen to me” is like saying you’re the only one who gets rained on when you’re standing outside in a thunderstorm. It’s simply not true. We all face challenges but the difference between happy people and sad people is how they deal with it. Some get wet in a thunder shower and know they will eventually dry off and the sun will return. Others can’t understand WHY they are getting rained on again and think Mother Nature must be out to get them. Ultimately, the way you deal with your obstacles directly influences how happy you are.

You are alive. You’re one of seven billion unique people in this world so what is there to complain about? What gives you the right to think everything is wrong in your life when you are fortunate enough to even have one? We, as a human race, have become so accustomed to believing we deserve the best of everything that we even think we deserve happiness–without working for it. Take a look around, if you’re living and breathing then you have exactly what you deserve: a life.

You survived being born. You survived childhood. You made it through adolescence unscathed (maybe barely), and you made it to adulthood. That’s a lot further than some people ever got and until you realize that life is not a given and that being in a lousy mood is a waste of time, you will never truly be happy. We are not entitled to anything. We think if we’re good people that we’re entitled to good things and good feelings but in reality, life’s just not like that. You can be the nicest, most giving person in the world and things will still sometimes go wrong. That’s how the world works. As much as Karma exists, so does Murphy’s Law. It’s not that the universe is against you; it’s that it’s against us all.

You can tell yourself all you want that you’re a happy person, but positivity is only a word unless you feel it and believe it. You need to truly understand it to know what it is. If you were on your own in this big world, would you be happy? Could you find happiness if it didn’t rely on anything but who you are? Life is magnified by the relationships and joyful emotions we experience throughout it, but shouldn’t we be able to feel good despite the good things that make us “happy”?

If you just start realizing that you have control over how you feel and how happy you are, then you will start feeling better. Bad things will still come your way but when you allow only the good things to truly affect you, your happiness will multiply. You need to start forgetting the bad things and remembering the good, because when your life is over would you rather a memory bank full of grey, rainy days or one brimming with dances in the rain?

Choose the latter. I did when I decided to write this post. It didn’t turn out the same as my first one, maybe not as good, but instead of wallowing in how fucking pissed I was, I did something about it. I threw a five minute fit then realized that there are a lot worse things in life that could have happened. So I buckled down and wrote. I advise you to buckle down and start being happy, you’ll see it’s worth it.