The Secret to Happiness

 I, like most adolescents, was incredibly insecure.  I never thought I was pretty enough, or smart enough, or funny enough.  I walked through the hallways of school with my hand covering some of my face.  I felt extreme anxiety whenever anyone asked me to do something with them.  My thought process always seemed to consist of:  "They don't really want to hang out with me.  They just feel sorry for me." I constantly compared myself to my beautiful and talented friends--and always felt that I fell short.  I knew what it meant to be confident, but I didn't know how to be confident.

Then I learned something that changed my life.  A secret powerful enough to fill me with courage and self-confidence.

My mother and I were attending a Young Women's conference for our stake, and the keynote speaker taught me this:

"You are much happier when you assume that everyone likes you."


That's right.  Simple as that.  Pretend that you're awesome, and you are.  If not to everyone else, at least you will be to yourself.

So that's what I do.  I wear what I want.  I talk how I like to talk.  I converse with whomever I want to converse with.  And I live exactly how I want to live.

And you know what?  I'm happy.

So, if it's quite alright with you, I'll continue to be me.  And I'll continue to pretend that you love me.

Happiest Friday, lovlies!