Happiness, my friends, is a choice that we each must make for ourselves, but it is more than that. To know how to be happy, truly happy, one must also know the sting of being hurt, of being pained by their past. Unfortunately, it has become difficult for many to find their path to happiness, whether due to listening too much to the hurtful stereotypes and harmful comments of others around them, or even to their own poisonous inner monologue, leaving them feeling like the only path to happiness is through having someone provide it. My friends, this is a failed concept, for if you haven't found your way to happiness on your own, no amount of love or nice things from someone else will ever give you that feeling! Look inside, find the things to love about yourself, and shut out the hateful noise! Stay strong my friends!

In this life, we are not the sum of our upbringing, our environment, or anything else of that sort. These are nothing more than the experiences that help us figure out HOW to identify who we want to be, thus it is the choice that is ours alone to make, no matter how others have pushed us or tormented us, or who raised us up and tried to show us their way of life. Ladies, Gentlemen, it is we alone, as individuals, with the power to determine whether or not we become good people or shadows and echoes of those that wronged us. There is a light inside each and every one of us, even those with the darkest souls. You just have to kindle it to a bright blaze, so get out your fire-starting kit and make your soul a brilliant bonfire of hope!

At one point in my life, while stumbling and fumbling around in the darkness of the only world that I could see, I came to a realization. I did not need to find something to bring light to the darkness of my life, I needed only to become the light for myself and shine brightly to guide others down a better path. Be good to one another this holiday season, for we can never know how our actions will impact others!

Truth is the mirror by which meaningful self-change can begin. We must hear the truth spoken by others, but also by our own hearts, and when we find the things we do not like about ourselves, it falls upon us to change those aspects of self rather than blaming it upon others. The truth, truly, shall set you free, if you will embrace it! Live well, and be happy folks!

Sometimes it falls upon a person to admit things to themselves that they don't want to accept as truth. Sometimes it is a friendship that was one-sided, other times it could be something about ourselves an dhow we interact with those around us, and still at other times the truths we have to accept about our lives come at us out of nowhere and force us to either break or adapt to the new understanding. Be strong, my friends, but know that sometimes strength requires being flexible and bending your sense of self into something new that can survive whatever storm is thrown your way. And know that, no matter how alone any of you may feel, you're never truly alone if you remember that you can reach out to a good friend!

This world we live in is not a forgiving one, and we all find ourselves facing many challenges throughout each and every day. It isn't the difficulty of those challenges, though, that is the problem, it is our own strength of will that is sometimes lacking, our internal drive and desire to push past an issue. That is what really gets so many of us, at times, pulling us down like a strong undertow, because we have become fatigued by the constant struggle. None of us struggle alone, and reaching out often helps us to restore our strength. Having support isn't weakness, it is power. Having those that lift us up when we start to stumble or fall, that is what life is truly all about. Stay strong together, my friends, because true strength means knowing our weaknesses and finding ways to get through them!

There are days, sometimes, where I feel like I am about to lose my mind all over again, but whenever I start to feel like that, I question whether it is something I should dread or something I should embrace? Is it possibly a feeling hinting at a personal growth period? The rebuilding of the parts of me that were broken into something new, something whole once again? Perspective, my friends, is the key to turning any negative emotion or thought into a positive, into a way to grow and improve upon ourselves. Stay strong, no matter the adversity thrown your way!

Is it a sign of insanity to continue to believe that most people are decent folks despite considerable evidence otherwise? Yeah, probably, but I refuse to give up on the hope and belief that the "terrible people" are still the minority rather than the majority! Have faith in others, for when you become jaded, you become one of the terrible people, whether you meant to or not! Be a beacon of kindness, my friends, and always be strong!

Happiness isn't something you should need to "search for". It is something that you should find within yourself so that acts you normally "enjoy" make you feel happier instead, rather than filling a void that rapidly empties once you've stopped that activity. It is impossible to find happiness in the world, at least that which isn't fleeting, unless you first find the happiness within yourself, reasons to take joy in whatever you might be doing. Find yourself, know yourself, and be happy going into the new year!

The differences between the people of the world's nations should not prompt us to feel superior, nor inferior, to one-another. The fact that the world has become so connected means that national boundaries should cease to be a reason for conflict, that they should become instead a reason to unite with one-another, regardless of our points of origin. We are one race, not many, and though our skin colors may differ, as may our beliefs, it is our differences that make us stronger when we learn to work together instead of against one-another. Though I understand that the hatred aimed at others may feel justified due to the lengthy history of such anger, the actions of our ancestors and theirs have no place in modern times, when the world should be enlightened, not darkening itself with the shadows of constant war, conflict, and acts of terror. To believe in something is not a crime, but to punish others for believing something else? That should not be something that any of us accept as reasonable or "normal"

In this world, we sometimes find those that always seem to be looking for "someone better". This isn't always a reflection on the person that is skipped over, but rather commonly a reflection upon the unhappy soul of the seeker, one that does not understand that their unhappiness will not be cured by the presence of another but by finding the happiness and joy within themselves. The simple fact of the matter is that though none of us are perfect, it is our imperfections that should attract others, our "marks of character". One does not need a perfect partner, only someone that will be honest, loyal, and respectful to them, but even with that, true happiness must come from within. Do not look to others to be your light, my friends. Rather, look at the bad things in your life, then immediately remember the good things in your life. Though one often feels as though it outnumbers the other, the negative experiences in life are meant to teach us appreciation of the positive ones, to grant us the gift of trul

Though life's experiences often "teach" us that things are a certain way, this is nothing more than a matter of perception. Because a thing is a particular way at that moment, or in a specific instance, it is specific only to those situations. To believe that all members of any group are a problem, that isn't a truth. It is our experience blinding us to the fact that the majority of the people we may or may not be damning have nothing to do with the issues we may have with particular members of it. Racism, sexism, being blatant in your disregard of someone because of their age, or anything else, these behaviors are all hurtful, to others, of course, but also more-so to ourselves. When we choose to open our minds and our hearts to the possibility that others of that group aren't as bad as those we actually have reason to dislike, personal growth becomes possible because hatred is being let go of. Always keep growing, my friends!

There are dark periods in our lives in which it seems we cannot find the light of another to guide ourselves free of our suffering. It is during times like this that we should all remember, if we cannot find the light of another, we can become a light ourselves, finding our path again of our own power, and lighting the way for others suffering as we have. Our strength makes us strong only if we share it with those that are in need, so don't be stingy about being good to others and being there for them when they are in need!

When life has found a way to lead us to feeling broken, it is not upon us to restore ourselves to what we were, but rather to find a new configuration for our broken pieces that allows us to move forward. That which has been broken can never again be as it was, can never be made original and whole, so our best recourse from that point is to find a new version of ourselves that allows us to be happy. Growth isn't staying the same, it's adapting to the experiences life hands you, good ones and bad ones alike. Growth is experiencing pain, joy, happiness and anger, the good AND the bad, because it is only through both that we ever truly come to understand ourselves and what we do want in life. I hope not many need these words, but that they reach those that might have need of addition strength and give them what they need to heal themselves! Be strong, folks, we're more-resilient than we ever realize!

I have spent my life, or at least the last ten years of it, trying to undo a lifetime of built-up bad habits, and one of the habits I had to force myself to break was holding to friendships that weren't healthy. I recently had to terminate a friendship with someone that had only become increasingly-unstable as the years passed, and their perpetual toxic behavior was effecting me in ways I didn't like. While it may be a thing to regret, the failing of a friendship, holding to something unhealthy only poisons us, and it won't heal them unless they want to be better people. Sometimes it is okay to cut ties with someone whose life has become anger, hatred, and poisonous lies, because we need to for our own growth. It is good to care about others, but never to the exclusion of caring about ourselves!

To those that suffer with their inner demons, remember always this: We are not the sum of our problems, our misdeeds, or our inner demons. We are the sum of our own decisions, our own choices, despite the often heavy-handed influence of others that would seek to make us become just as they are. Seeing abusive behavior all around us should encourage us to avoid treating others that way, rather than enabling us to become just like those that have harmed us. Being mistreated is awful, terrible, and can be really damaging, but only we can let it break us, no matter how hard an effort others put in to trying to force it! Be yourself, and then always strive to be a better version of yourself from that point on!

Integrity is as simple as finding the strength to stay the course, to be yourself, and not let others turn you into someone you are not and do not wish to be. It isn't being an asshole or bitch or any other insulting term, it's just being you and knowing that you don't need to be someone else, not for anyone!

If you are on a social networking website of any kind and your first assumption is that anyone approaching you is either fake or wants something from you, then maybe you should just stop going to that social site? I mean, if you automatically assume that the other person is intending something negative towards you, why the hell are you even coming to a place like this? By automatically "shutting people out" with an attitude like that, you are mostly just denying yourself potentially amazing friendships in the name of "self protection". I'm sorry, I don't care how sexy you are, man or woman, no one here is so beautiful or desirable that I am going to instantly fawn over them and want to be with them. Hate to break it to you, but not one of you is all that on looks alone. I'm a personality man, you can't handle that, then piss off and kindly don't waste any of my time!

It needs to be said, for a social networking site of a sort, people on here aren't very good at being social without making horrible assumptions about those they are talking to! Do you truly know the person you are talking to? No, you probably don't, which means the assumptions you are making about their intentions are likely false or at the least woefully inaccurate. Try not to think the worst of people from the very start, you might really miss out on some amazing, fun people in your life because you assumed something awful!

If you are going to like and rate someone and then treat them like shit for sending you a friend request out of politeness, you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem with a definitive lack of social skills and a massively overblown sense of self-importance. No one deserves to be treated like shit, no matter what you may think their motivations are!