I've always wondered what happiness actually is.  Is it getting a present that you've wanted for a long time? Is it getting good grades in school? Is it being promoted to a higher salary at work? To me, that's just short-term happiness - because soon you'll have something different, that's what you'll get when you're in college. . We are always looking forward to happiness, as if it is in the future, and not in the present.

So what exactly is happiness?

Happiness is simple. So simple that sometimes we forget how to be happy. When we're upset or angry, we drown in our irrational thoughts and start to think nothing but negative things. When we are in a negative mood, we do not even think about being happy, because we think that there is nothing to be happy about. What makes you think that this is true? People say: "I will be happy someday" - "someday" is not a day of the week. You can choose to be happy now.

" The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation. "- Eckhart Tolle

I think that being happy left to be grateful. Why? When we start to become grateful for the things around us, we realize how much we take for granted, and that we should be happy and grateful to these things. For example, as I am typing this, I am grateful for having a laptop. For having Wi-Fi. For having a roof above my head. For having a family. And the list goes on.

You think there is nothing to be grateful for? You are wrong. Take a look around you. What do you see? Start to think what it would be like if that thing was not there. As you start to analyze more and more, you start to realize how much we take this beautiful world for granted.

We only have a short time on Earth, and God gives us a life for a reason. I believe that life is an adventure, and it is up to us to create and follow our own paths. So why spend your life being negative? It's pointless to sit around and drown ourselves in self-pity. Happiness is up to you and you are the only one who can control it.

" If you do not like something, change it. If you can not change it, change your attitude "- Maya Angelou

The next time you are in a negative mood, do something that makes you happy. Listen to uplifting music. Whilst you are doing this, you are grateful for. This is your way to think positively and the more you get used to, the easier it is, and it will be your unconscious thoughts.

People focus too much on how they feel rather than how they should think. Once you change your mind to think positively, you become a happier person, and you also influence those around you. I have found that you are happy, you radiate positive energy. I want to be that person who brightens up someone else's day simply being happy and giving out happiness.

"Be happy ... not because everything is good, but you can see the good in everything."

Written by Jade Nhin, a 19 year old English Literature student from London. Follow Jade on instagram  @_jadeyyx  to find out more!