To achieve happiness, we must first realize one simple truth: happiness is a choice. It is not something another person can give us, nor is it something that exists in the outside world. To be genuinely happy, you must choose happiness. The responsibility for your happiness belongs to no one but yourself.

People often mistake happiness for a life completely free of problems. But the two are not the same. Do not wait for every problem to disappear before allowing yourself to be happy. Choose happiness today. Right now. As long as you are alive, there will always be challenges. The goal is not to eliminate every problem, but to learn how to be happy despite them.

There are three main sources of happiness.

1. Achievement

Career, hobbies, dreams, challenges—everything we accomplish brings us happiness. But if all of our happiness depends on success, it will always be temporary and will never have true depth.

2. People

The people in our lives can certainly make us happy. But if all of our happiness depends on others, it will eventually turn into suffering and loneliness.

3. The Joy of Being Alive

This is where genuine and independent happiness exists—a happiness born from the free will of a conscious individual. When you are capable of being happy simply because you are alive and because you are yourself, then success, relationships, and every other piece of the puzzle naturally falls into place.