Am I saying there’s anything wrong with people that have or don’t have money? Not at all. There is not a single person on this planet that I look negatively upon (except like ISIS, I guess). Each and every one of us 7 billion is weird in our own way, we all have unique desires and aspirations, we all come from a different place and a different time period, how cool is that? Every person you meet is NEW. Every person you meet comes with a story filled with dying laughter and heartbreak, it’s beautiful. As I look around this coffee shop, I see all the different people, most are accompanied by someone else and they’re laughing about something that makes the both of them happy, and after all what’s better than spending time with someone who can facilitate your own happiness? Each and every day I gain a more holistic view of life, I gain the ability to take one step backwards and take a long look at everything I have experienced and how it has changed me as a man. I hope that everyone I ever meet gets to experience this feeling, a feeling of wholeness and inner peace at everything that’s ever happened in my life. My family and friends have been the key to this happiness in all honesty. I have grown up with someone making me feel good about myself everyday of my life, not something many people get to have in their lifetime. I have two loving parents, two incredibly annoying but supportive siblings, and a family that has my back every step of the way. The values I was taught as a child shine brightly today, I can’t ever lie to people I care about without feeling guilty about it, my natural instinct is to help and make others happy, even before myself. My favorite attribute about myself is the ability to make others happy. My goal everyday in life is to make at least one person happier by the end of the day than they were when they woke up, and I stay true to this 365.25 days per average year. I hate negativity, I even dislike the fact that I just said the word “hate”, I don’t hate anybody, and this is why I am the luckiest man in the world. I have just been randomly chosen by some completely random procreation committee to be blessed with this amazing life, and I am so thankful for that. I could talk about how lucky I am to be gifted with some above-average athletic skills, the fact that I have been able to keep school my number one priority growing up as a kid, just because I literally had nothing else to stress about, or I could even talk about how I’m easily the best Madden player in North America, but I won’t. Those are all just bonuses, abilities I have been blessed with in my DNA that give me confidence and a way to connect with others. How much better can it get? I live in the United States, a country where you have freedom to speak, freedom to think what you want and feel safe knowing that our military would never let another nation invade our borders. I get the choice to be whatever I want, I can be an Accountant, or I can be a gym teacher, or I can be the CEO of a multi-billion dollar company if I truly work hard enough. I am a Portuguese- American in East Providence, I can always feel at home wherever I go in this city, my culture has planted its roots here forever and they’re celebrated with pride. But at the same time East Providence comes with a melting pot of cultures. I have made so many friends that come from so many different backgrounds, you people will never know but I take every relationship with every friend I have ever made serious, each and every one of you has taught me something and helped me grow as a person. And the best part about it all? I’m 19 freaking years old! I have lived roughly 25% of my life, and I already feel like I’ve lived three lifetimes worth of fun and happiness. I look at the future as an adventure. There are so many new places I’m going to visit and so many lessons I’m going to learn, I just need to make sure I’m alive for all of them. If you don’t think I’m the luckiest guy ever yet, I want you to consider this fact: I, Ryan Vieira, do not regret anything...ANYTHING that has ever happened in my life. And I believe that right there is the key to happiness. Are there things I look back on and give me a pain in my chest because of the sorrow it caused me? Sure there are, but would I alter it at all given the chance? I say no chance. The key to ultimate happiness is being content, someone taught me about the term “zen” one time, and that was one of the most important lessons I have ever learned. Zen is a state of being, in which you are 100% content with all aspects of life, nothing from the past is hindering your ability to be happy. In order to reach this mental state, you need to let go of your mistakes, let go of those moments that made you feel hopeless or maybe even worthless. I am loved, I am loved by so many people in this universe and I feel their love everyday when I smile to myself, thinking about a memory that gave me butterflies or made me laugh til I was blue in the face. To be honest, my friends will read this and probably make fun of me for about two weeks, but I don’t care. The happiest people in life are the ones who aren’t afraid to make fun of themselves, because they are so content with their own happiness and well-being that silly words can’t break their spirit, and I am one of those people. Karma is real, it is a real entity that is watching every single one of us with every action we take. If there’s one thing I can teach you from this is to keep karma on your side. Spread happiness and positivity to others, it is something I try my best to do everyday and I believe that karma recognizes me for this and rewards me for it all the time. I guess it all depends on your interpretation of what being “lucky” is. Maybe it’s winning lots of money at casinos, maybe it’s getting every girl you’ve liked to like you back, but my definition of luck is pretty simple. Luck is the force in the universe (some call destiny/fate) that places you into situations that progress one’s mind and fill one’s heart. At this stage in my life, my heart is as full as it can be and my mind is a wonderland of fruitful thoughts and aspirations. It may sound thick-headed or maybe even a little boastful (and I assure you this is not my intention) but I am the luckiest human being alive and maybe to ever live, and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise.