Happiness: n. The quality or state of being happy.

Happy: adj. Delighted, pleased, or glad as over a particular thing.

Happiness—something I want to feel more. In theory, I am happy. I have a roof over my head, a sport I love, a family, and friends. Everything I could possibly imagine. Everything I could want to be happy. And I am—I am happy. Most of the time.

Every year, on New Year’s Eve, thousands, maybe millions of people are making resolutions. They are setting goals that they likely will never achieve. They think too big and become overwhelmed with what they want to achieve. They quit.

This year, my mom told my family that we should have a word instead of a goal. Something to live 2022 by such as productive, active, healthy, or smart. I didn’t know what my word was going to be, so when the time came for me to share, I didn’t. I didn’t share a word because I didn’t know how I wanted the year to look.

I decided to pick a word though. My word is happiness.

In 2021, I, like many people, found it hard to be happy. There were so many reasons not to be happy. A global pandemic, canceled events, closed restaurants, and quarantine barely scratches the surface. However, I also know that there were many things I could be happy about. There were so many things I got to do and experience. On the other hand, it is always easier for me to focus on the negative as opposed to the positive, so that’s what I did. I spent an entire year in a pessimistic mindset.

I’m done with that. 2022 is a new year, and I want to be happy; I want to feel like a kid on their birthday. I want to focus on everything that is positive. I want to find joy in the smallest things because one good thing can make my day good. I want to learn to love myself and all the things around me instead of hating everything simply because I’m in a bad mood.

Every day, I want to do something that makes me happy. Read, draw, bullet journal, play guitar, spend time with my family, go to the mall, or workout to name a few. If I focus on one thing every day, I will be able to pursue happiness in the way that I have been chasing after for years. Instead of watching it meander further and further away, I will catch up and grab it by the hand.

I know that this will be difficult—I won’t be happy every day. I’ll have ups and downs, and I will have a lot of bad days. I’m not hoping for a perfect year, I’m just hoping for a happy one.