Sometimes it can feel like a daunting task to find happiness.

It takes work, but be sure that happiness awaits you.

I was unhappy for a large portion of my life. It seemed that there was always something dragging me down, and chaining my soul to misery, with the key nowhere to be found.

I felt I would never break free from those chains. In a nutshell – I had mastered the art of UN-happiness.

Although I was young, I was facing many struggles that most people never face. I felt I didn’t have time for happiness, because I had too much to worry about. I was losing hope and never feeling happy with my life.

I have never been a quitter, and I’m also a perfectionist, and these two traits have always kept me going. You have to look at your strengths and make the most of them, instead of focusing on your weaknesses.

Contentment by Remaining Positive

Although I was not Muslim during this stage in my life, I did believe in God, and I knew that if I worked hard, and did my best, things would eventually turn around, although I felt it wasn’t happening quickly enough. Confidence and willpower to always try to improve myself got me a long way. I knew God would pull through for me… and He did.

I had to take ownership of causes of my unhappiness, and made a mental goal to turn it around for the better. I had to find contentment in my life, regardless of what I was facing.

Contentment is vital for happiness! You have to stop ‘keeping up with the Jones’ and be happy with what you have. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

Oftentimes people look to others to make them happy. When someone is feeling lonely, they try to find a person to make them happy. Some people wait for other people to solve their problems for them. This is a fantasy, filled with false happiness. Rainbows and butterflies will not just magically appear out of nowhere.

Happiness comes from within, not from others. You hold the key to your happiness, and only you have the power to unlock that door of happiness by finding contentment within yourself. Don’t wait for others to do it for you, otherwise, you will always be unhappy.

Once I was able to accept the cards I had been dealt, and realized it was in my hands to win the game or not, I knew what actions I had to take. This reality check made it easier for me to remain positive. Making positive changes leads to more, so if you make one positive change, you will see the fruit of your efforts begin to appear. You have to make your own rainbow.

Stop sulking, and do something about it. Staying positive will help you to keep moving forward, and things will turn around eventually. Positive thoughts lead to positive actions. This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever fail at something, because you will, but if you don’t try, you will never make progress.

We learn from our failures.

Read Part 2.

This article is from Reading Islam’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.