They often say that different things make different people happy, but how long this happiness can last for is questionable. Some things in life can make us happy for a short time, while others much longer. But I think this is all dependent on what we believe makes us happy.

Growing up, I never lived a life of luxury. My childhood was not spent going on flash holidays, owning expensive toys or receiving extravagant gifts. But that never bothered me. I liked the fact that I was taught the value of money and how you didn’t NEED the best to feel that you HAD the best.

And I think this is a concept many find difficult to comprehend. People often associate happiness and success to the material objects that one possesses, but sometimes that is not a clear picture of it at all. Happiness does not lie in the things you own, where you live, or how big your house is; it lies in appreciating what life is about. Sometimes it could be the small things, like for me, sitting around and playing with my children. For others, it could be being with their loved one. You can’t put a price on happiness.

I don’t think that you need a high paying job to be happy, or the biggest television to feel your life is complete; I think the happiest of people are those who make the best out of what they have. They don’t focus on what they don’t have, but on what they DO have.

There was a time when I wanted so much more than the life I had. Then I came to the realisation that those things didn’t matter. At the time, I had a husband who loved me, a daughter who was healthy; I had so much more than I realised. And I’ve found that when I looked beyond those material objects, I was so much happier than I once was. From then on, I lived in the moment, focused on the important things, and overall, I was just so much happier.

So find out what makes you happy and ask yourself whether you are truly happy. Sometimes we focus so much on living in the moment, we don’t realise that what we are currently doing will make us less happy in the long run. So appreciate the small things, the people around you, and know that true happiness does not lie in the things you own. But in the moments that make you feel truly happy.

Thuy Le (formerly known as Thuy Yau) is a freelance writer and Youth Work graduate living in Perth, Australia. She loves to share her own personal experiences about overcoming adversity, as she believes that human beings are more capable than they realise. She writes to make a positive difference in the world and to inspire others to learn from themselves and their own experiences. Her writing has been discussed on radio, won writing contests, appeared on The Huffington Post UK and major Australian sites such as news.com.au, SMH, Kidspot and Essential Kids. She has just completed her first book – a memoir - and is on the search for a publisher.