I was sitting with my nana the other morning and as we were sipping on our freshly brewed coffee, our conversation shifted dramatically from Christmas decorations to her asking about my life. My nana and I have such an unique bond, and I can tell her anything, and I really treasure our conversations, especially when it is just between the two of us. I looked at her and in the most maternal tone she asked, “so, are you happy?”

I a little taken aback by this question because I immediately thought I must have been acting out of my typical upbeat character and then I started thinking I had said or done something to make her worry. After I had convinced her that I am truly happy, she proceeded to end this random conversation by telling me that this life is “tragic if you can’t do things to make yourself happy and have fun.”

Knowing that she was right about this, (as she is about most things) I decided to switch to the dark side. The next day, I scheduled to color my hair. Now this may sound like a pretty materialistic way to make yourself happy, but I enjoy change and something this simple is enough for me, so, I will color my hair when I feel like it, and not feel guilty about it.

While I was sitting under the hair dyer, feeling like a martian and waiting for my hair to process, I grabbed the closest magazine within reach. There was a brief written by “Girls” star, Zosia Mamet. She discussed a time when she had an awful audition and she called her father. He told her, “Really, so what. Everybody’s got an opinion.” That little quote, similar to my nana’s, changed her perspective and she uses that when she is feeling down about something.

Finding happiness and optimism is going to differ for everyone, but finding little snippets and using them as a constant reminder is a good place to start. As is, experimenting with a new hair color or style.

The possibilities are endless.