Something you probably hear a lot of is people talking about “being positive,” and more than likely it’s easily dismissed. Believe it or not, however, there is actually something behind all that “happiness” talk. I know, I know: Constant positivity gets annoying, and people who always have smiling faces get judged, but happiness plays (or should play) a huge role in our lives as pre-teens, teens, and young adults.

We as a human race go through life searching for happiness and ultimate satisfaction, and when we finally find it, life is good. Of course, it may take an entire lifetime to find out what makes you truly and utterly content, but that’s what life is about: creating yourself and finding out what makes you happy.

With that in mind, I’ve taken it upon myself to put a smile on your face and present you with a list of happiness-inducing activities if you’re looking for a good time!

 My keys to a positive outlook and happiness:

• Take a walk and get lost because the flowers you see growing everywhere should represent your passion; never let those flowers die, okay?
• Eat as many chocolate bars as you want if they make you feel good because life is too short to worry about that extra bit of fluff.
• Eat fruit, exercise, and be healthy….There’s a reason so many people do it.
• If you don’t feel like doing it, DON’T! You won’t regret not going out and partying when you’re looking back on your life.
• Take cute selfies and post them all over the Internet, no matter what anyone says, because if it boosts your confidence, do it!
• Paint something! Who cares if it’s bad, just express yourself in lines of color.
• Put away your electronic devices and log off social media, put on records, and dance around in your underwear to whatever song you want.
• Take 2-hour-long baths regularly and let that soapy water wash away your sadness.
• Try new foods, drink new drinks, go out with friends to a new restaurant (or an old one; whatever tickles your fancy).
• Enhance your vocabulary and learn about other cultures! Remember, you don’t have to constrict yourself by only learning what the school system tells you to.
• Read a good book.
• Spend time with your mom and dad. Remind them that you love them.
• Take pretty pictures and hang them up on your wall.
• Make art out of whatever is lying around your house.
• Go and spend the day with close friends and talk about whatever comes to mind without fearing judgment.
• Spend the day alone if you wish, reading books or watching TV.
• Go to a coffee shop and talk about your wildest dreams with friends (or strangers).
• Take a chance and ask out your crush; in 20 years you won’t remember being rejected, but you might remember spending time with a boy or girl who influenced your life a great deal, so take a shot!
• Don’t be afraid to go bare-faced. You are beautiful on the inside and out.
• Remember: If you have a positive, beautiful soul, you can never be ugly because you will constantly radiate sunshine.
• Live only to please yourself, no one else.
• Find what you love to do, whether it be hiking, learning new things, making art, or just eating and watching TV; it doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, go out and do it.

Remember guys, you only have one life, one mind, one body, one soul. Treat it right, treat it nice, and let yourself be free of the shackles the world has cuffed you in.