Dear Happiness,

After viewing the CNN special and reading some articles on the topic of how women’s happiness has declined over the years compared to men, I came to some conclusions. I realized that as women we are too hard on ourselves, and also that the expectation of women to be perfect at everything we do is too high. This expectation is set by us! Yes we should strive to be the best, but we must not tear ourselves down if we fall short sometimes. Yes we have the ability and opportunity to do it all now which is wonderful, but instead of trying to be a powerhouse machine, we must listen to our hearts and ask ourselves, “What am I really working towards? Once I reach my goal, will the happiness I feel only last temporarily? How do I sustain happiness?” Susan L. Taylor’s article is so insightful and really makes a lot of sense. We must all look inside ourselves because only we control our own happiness. Happiness must be our foundation, not just a temporary destination.