This 8 Year Old’s 5 Steps To ‘Happyness’ Are Beautiful

It may sound trite, but influential 19th-century psychologist William James once said, “The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.” Those that suffer from mental illness, serious hardships, and oppression obviously have a tougher road to happiness. But according to a Harvard study, the the person most in control of our own happiness is ourselves. The secret is to “Choose to be happy with whatever you do, strengthen your closest relationships and take care of yourself physically, financially and emotionally,” the study says.

Last week, Twitter user @grumpynortherncynic posted an uplifting picture he found on a teacher’s resource website of an 8 year old’s “5 Steps to Happyness.” The list shows the child’s understanding that “happyness” is a work in progress that takes dedication, effort, and a canine companion. It’s simple-but-timeless advice struck a chord with other Twitter users who’ve retweeted it nearly 2,000 times.

5 Steps to Happyness

1.) Go play

2.) Have an ice lolly

3.) Make friends

4.) Love everything

5.) Get a dog

via Twitter