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This person is most responsible for your happiness

Want to know who's most responsible for your happiness?

That's easy. Look in the mirror.

It isn't your partner, children, siblings, or friends. Happiness emanates from inside, which means only you complete yourself.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent -- one of my favorite quotes, I might add.

Oprah Winfrey quipped that you cannot wait for someone to save you, to help you, to complete you. No one can complete you but yourself.

And, as Mandy Hale puts it, happiness is an inside job, and you should never assign anyone else that much power over your life.

Instead, you should wield that power to make a better life for yourself. Do whatever makes you happy -- whether it's exploring new continents or simply laying by the pool at home.

Happiness starts with you -- not with your job, relationships, or money. If that weren't the case, there wouldn't be people in the world who have found a way to enjoy life with so little.

Society likes to peddle the notion that you need to be married, have kids, and have the latest and greatest gadgets in order to feel fulfilled. This couldn't be more baseless. Relationships can end. Kids don't always get along with their folks. Material items suffer wear and tear.

The idea of happiness -- and, by extension, life fulfillment --  is largely subjective. What may make you happy may not have the same effect on me. Some people opt for an adventurous lifestyle; others relish routine and security.

To put your happiness in someone else's hands is one of the biggest mistakes a person can make. Why rely on someone else to be happy when they're bound to disappoint you eventually? No one in this world has your best interests at heart like you do.

Leave the keys to your happiness in your hand. A lot is made of soulmates, but the reality is that a partner enhances your life, not completes it. To expect him or her to complete you is to put an unfair burden them -- one they will never be able to deliver on.

You have the power to feel happy today through your thoughts. Focusing on the positive as opposed to the negative -- your blessings, dreams, goals rather than your flaws and mistakes -- can mean the difference between a wonderful day and a somber one.

Don't let those negative thoughts prevail. Don't surrender your happiness to anyone else. You are in control of your life -- make it a great one!
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