I did not come here to suffer, or the love of stubborn gladness

Which doesn't mean shit always goes right. But it means that I try to live by the code of the poet Jack Gilbert: "We must have the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless furnace of this world."

Cheers to stubborn gladness, then.

Let's take a moment and reflect : stubborn gladness. I realized that those two words summed up my entire life philosophy: stubborn gladness.

Stubborn gladness does not mean ignoring negativity, injustice, or social inequality. It means continuing to work, trying to find the good, seeing the good, loving the good and even finding the beauty in the imperfections. Because light could not exist without dark, in the same way happiness would not exist without suffering. It's important to work in order to accomplish your dreams, because in realitydreams don't just come true.

Happiness is a human right (not yet recognized by laws), something that everyone is capable of with a little work, reframing, and contemplation. Happiness is the main purpose of that we call life. Or at least it should be. A life lived in pain or working without personal satisfaction is not worth lived. Happiness shouldn't be an impossible pursuit. It is not selfish to strive for it, work for it, and find it.

What's more: You create the life you want. You decide whether to fill it with passion, love, positive people and positive actions or whether to fill it with unfulfilling actions, negative people, or suffering.

Happiness is everywhere: you can find at the gym when you exercise, in park with your friends, the smile of a stranger, a long walk gazing at the stars on the sky. It is in your drum playing, your 10 minutes of meditation, your introspective journaling. It is in your latte from your favorite coffee shop, fall leaves, your conversation with your best friend. It is in your favourite meal, a good wine (rose for me) a play at the Opera, a good movie or good music. It is everywhere, in everything, if you have the courage to lift your eyes and look further.

Happiness is the begining of a wonderful period in one's life, a state of mind that is the minimum required to do great things, amazing performances.