It’s past midnight again, just like the other times when I sat down in bed to write.

Tonight is a little different, I was inspired by one of you ( you know who you are if you’re reading) to write this.

I flipped through my Snapchat direct messages before bedtime and stumbled upon a lovely message one of you wrote to me.

A message about happiness & the search for that seemingly lost emotion as the years go by.

Just like you, I too want to be (truly) happy again.

You told me, studies show that it is between the ages ___ that we are the happiest we could ever be. I question, why?

You told me, you wish you could be as happy again. At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel the same way.

Are we so bogged down by the curveballs life throws at us that we forgot the importance of relishing in happiness. Are we so used to nonchalance that the burst of happiness finally amounts to nothing at all?

What is the meaning of being truly happy? Are we forever going to be devoid of problems, stress and setbacks?

Has life taught us that the simplicity of happiness is just nothing much after all?

Has happiness been classified under a scale of 1-10 based on the man-crafted culture of whether something is worth being happy about. Does the simplest, shortest and sometimes silliest burst of happiness more unworthy of praise as opposed to the gain of what the world deems to make you most happy? Or have we been conditioned to deem the exclamation of happiness repulsive or inappropriate? How many times have we exclaimed that and described our burst of joy from clinching a deal, getting a huge pay-check down silliest of reasons as ‘nothing much anyway’.

I want to be unafraid to be happy.

I want to be unafraid to be happy about the littlest things.

Relish in the most unassuming moments of joy – Whether it is meeting a friend after a long while and being locked in that split second of embrace. Whether it is completing the toughest paper at school or a gruelling interview. Or it could be as simple as getting that extra 30 minutes of sleep on the comfiest sheets.

We live in a world where the cycle of eat, work, sleep repeat forces us focus on the tangibles that we need to keep life going. In pursuit of better health, knowledge and monetary gains – We think that we are letting go of the capacity to be truly happy.

Take it slow – Keep that smile on your face or simply smile back at the barista you got your morning cuppa from. Let a friend know that you’re thinking about him/her. Take a moment to do a little something each day that makes you feel good about yourself.

Life’s a little too short to keep wondering about whether we’re truly happy or not. Forget about the times of child-like happiness and hold onto every moment of joy that comes your way. Forget about classifying happiness on a scale of 1-10, forget about classifying happiness as ‘ yes/ no/ maybe/ ok’.

Find a reason to be happy every day.