Friday, October 4, 2013

The Pursuit of Happiness - Ashley Hamati

Happiness. We've all heard it, we've all experienced it at one point in our lives (and hopefully, that's the bare minimum). We're told constantly that either it's the meaning of life or it's what we should all strive to achieve on a day-to-day basis. 

That is absolutely true.

It's your life, so why would you want to rob anyone of your happiness? Ever heard the quote, "Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game"? Or "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"? If you read into them, they're pretty mind-boggling. When you succumb to the demons each of these quotes directly (or indirectly) imposes, you rob yourself of your own happiness. Yep, you read that correctly. YOU rob YOUR OWN SELF out of YOUR OWN happiness. Why would you ever cheat yourself of living a joyous life? You deserve it. You're a hardworking and brilliant individual. We all are, so we should at least do ourselves the justice of making our lives worth living. My advice and thought for tonight, as well as for the rest of your time here, goes as this: Be fearless. Be confident. Do something that surprises you. For example, I draw from my own experience. I used to dance when I was younger (didn't we all?) and I enjoy dancing. Am I Karina Smirnoff or Julianne Hough or the next winner on So You Think You Can Dance? Or am I the star Radio City Rockette? I'm none of the above, but that didn't stop me from trying out for Dance Team this year. Did I make it? Nope. But I'm glad I did it. It showed me a new level of confidence that surprised me of my own abilities. 

When you're confident in yourself, you are happy. Your actions speak equally with your words and are taken in like the rays of the sun on a hot summer afternoon by everyone around you. You, in fact, have conquered this pursuit of happiness. That being said, only you can rob yourself of your happiness. No one has the power to do that. So try out for the Lilting Banshees. Try to find a silver lining each and every day. Have an excuse to be grateful and never stop giving. Even with schoolwork, pour your heart into it-- you'll rob yourself of happiness if you get a less-than-satisfactory grade when you know you could have studied just a little more. Going the extra mile is challenging and scary, but if it weren't scary or challenging, it would be simple. However, it is the very complexities of life that make it worth living, as well as the thrill of the pursuit of happiness. 

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