I have been writing in a journal on an almost-daily basis since I was 17 years old. This is a record of me going through each entry from the beginning, and commenting on the me from fifteen years ago.

In the play I just read, Shirley Valentine followed her dreams and did everything she had wanted to before – she became a better person. I asked myself what I should be doing along similar lines. The answer is nothing. To tell the truth, I’ve never been happier. Now that doesn’t mean I have everything I want, oh no, I’m far from that. If I had all that, my life would be dull to the extreme. But right now I’m doing everything I can to achieve my dreams. I write every day – I work-out regularly – I get good grades – I socialize – I think deep, poetic thoughts. In all, I’ve never been a better person. Right now, my future is closing in, yet wide open, there is no dead-lock. As long as it remains so, I fear nothing, my life is good. In fact, I still have so many, near infinite, avenueus that need to be explored, I barely have time to write this, to sleep, to even do any of the things I do now. Life has become tremendously tiring – to the point of awakening exhilaration.

I still feel the same way right now, and it’s great! Being happy isn’t about having everything you want, it’s about always making small steps toward getting what you want. Your future is built on today, and today alone. As long as you end each day knowing that you accomplished something – even if that something is taking it easy because you’ve been working so hard – you will feel amazing.