Making Someone Happy

So I had the opportunity today to help someone with their Valentines Day. I decorated my roommates room for his girlfriend because she couldn't before he got home. Now this may seem like a regular boring old thing that a lot of people do, but the weird thing about this was that I was incredibly happy to do it. Today I realized that one of the things that makes me the most happy, is making other people happy. I was sitting there decorating the room and I just thought, this is awesome, what else can I do to make this better? Now of course I didn't do anything else because then the Valentines stuff would've been from me to my roommate instead of his girlfriend... that would've been awkward. Aside from that though I thought it could have been awesome. Not that it wasn't awesome already, I just could have made it even awesomer. The point is, making somebody else happy is the best way to help yourself be happy.

This is an example of the puppies I like to stare at :)

Now, "happiness". What is happiness really? I have been asking myself this question a lot lately. I have been trying to put a definition on happiness thinking that by doing that I would be able to achieve it. This turned out to be futile. I was thinking that the was some sort of key to happiness. I would ask people what made them happy, or how they were happy all the time. Now that I think about it, nobody could really give me a straight answer. That is part of the beauty of happiness I think. It's not the same for any person on the planet. Something that makes one person happy might mean absolutely nothing to another. We all have our own things that make us happy. There a lot of things that make me happy. One thing would have to be dogs. Puppies. Basically any animal, but I can't get enough of dogs. I could look at pictures of puppies all day. My puppy Penny can always make me happy, just by being her crazy little self. Winning makes me happy too. Not many people have seen my competitive side, but it is there. I get super competitive when I want, and winning makes me super excited. My family makes me happy. My friends make me happy. Today though, I realized that helping other people be happy makes me the happiest of all.

This may sound a little odd and on the verge of a big cheese ball, but it really is true. Seeing someones smile after you do something for them is priceless. Getting a hug of gratitude is one of the best feelings in the world.  I experienced that tonight. Someone was grateful enough, just to give me a hug. So, what does this really have to do with anything? That is a pretty good question, and I have an answer. I have been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. I have no idea what I want to do for a career. I have stressed out about it so much lately that I probably have given myself an ulcer. Maybe not an ulcer, but some stomach corrosion. I realized today that whatever I do, I need to be making someone happy. I need to be putting a smile on someones face, making someones day better, inspiring those grateful hugs. I know that if I do that, my work will make me happy. If you are reading this, try and make someone happy today. It'll make you happy too. Stay happy my friends.

-Steven