72 Essential Principles of Happiness

By Multiple Authors

Financial crises, wrong beliefs, feeling solitary and meaningless, lethargy, destructive criticisms, relationship issues, grief, irrational fears such as fear of rejection and failures and real problems are inevitable as far this life is concerned. But the truth is, like everyone else, you deserve to be happy. Be prepared to live a happier and more fulfilling life by following the principles in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Feb 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781312953079

Book preview

72 Essential Principles of Happiness

72 Essential Principles of Happiness

Copyright ©2015 by Orberry Press

All rights reserved. This book is the work of several authors and thus may not be used in any unsolicited way without the precise permission of the publisher.

First Printing: 2015

ISBN: 978-1-312-95307-9

Orberry Press.

West Africa

Zip code: 200284

www.dozenpages.com

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to every author and the editor whose works have made this book what it is.

Contents

About Happiness

The Principles

Quotations & Sayings

More Books

About Happiness

What You Need to Know About Happiness

Let’s start by taking a look at some truths behind happiness as exposed by Alina Vrabie, Gail Brenner, Andrew J. Rosenthal, Jacqueline Howard, Lynda Wallace, Kelsey, Christy Matta, M.A. and David Weedmark.

Most people tell us all this is great, but who has the time to work on being happier? These days we can barely make it to the gym, let alone add on a set of happiness exercises.   But there are easy, quick things we can do each day to become happier that take maybe five minutes, even less. Do at least one thing per day completely.   By that, I mean, experience it fully, without going off into your head and thinking about what you need to do later, what you’re worried might happen, or whether whatever you are doing is a good use of your time.   Just do it, and savor it.   It can be anything – a meal, your shower, even a conversation – and you don’t have to plan it in advance.   What’s more important is that you pick something you usually rush through or do distractedly and instead be completely present while you are doing it.

Every night, reflect on the things that went well that day.   We have all sorts of cognitive biases that make it easy to forget good things, or let bad things overshadow them.   We have to work hard to keep them from disappearing from our memory altogether, and one of the quickest, easiest ways to do that is to set a specific time to remember (and maybe even record) them.   Happier.com has created an iPhone application called the gratitude journal that records your bright spots during the day and tracks your happiness quotient.   You can do it in just a few minutes a day.

Experiment with your daily routine.   Develop some ideas about what makes you happy and what makes you unhappy and see if you’re right.   Keep a log of what you do each day and what your mood is throughout the day, and see what factors make a difference.   You’d be surprised how often the things we do because we think they are helping us actually make things worse, and how often things we think are unimportant have a huge impact.

If you rely on unreliable objects for your happiness, you will not end up happy. What is an unreliable object? A person, a situation, the future, a house, possessions, money, status. None of these can offer you a guarantee of happiness because they are outside your control.

And if you place your happiness in the hands of something you don’t control, you have set yourself up for disappointment.

Happiness doesn’t comes from material things. We may feel temporary satisfaction from material objects, like the sensation when you buy your first house or your partner gives you an amazing birthday present. Long term happiness, or true happiness at all, however, can only grow from things that cannot be touched, seen, or tasted.

It’s interesting if you think about it, because even the satisfaction we get from physical things doesn’t come from the object itself, but an emotion or experience that is connected with it. A first home brings the feeling of security, of putting down roots and having a place to find peace. A special gift from your partner reminds you how thoughtful they are, and how much you love them. Even new clothes make us feel confident, attractive, and give us the chance to express ourselves.

Building on that, we can come to understand that it’s not the physical objects that we need. We need the connections, the emotional states, and the experiences that come with them. You can feel the same amazing romance and love whether your partner proposes with a $10 or a $10,000 ring; it’s all about perspective.

Don’t look for happiness in anything outside yourself. Instead, turn your attention inside. Shed the habits and patterns that keep you unhappy, and you will discover the wellspring of happiness that is always here, unrelated to any objects or circumstances.

Get a hot wife. Go ahead, laugh. But a 2013 study showed that among married heterosexual couples, the partners are happier when the female is more attractive than the male. A 2008 study found similar results. Moreover, research shows that having a supportive and positive social circle will increase our overall happiness, but societal pressures encourage us to find our Prince Charming, get married, reproduce, and live happily ever after.  We expect that our partner will live up to the daunting task of providing us eternal happiness, but placing the source of one’s happiness in another’s hands is an unrealistic and unfair demand.  We are each responsible for our own happiness and unless we are willing to appreciate the fact that we cannot control one another and look at happiness as a result of our own actions, we will constantly be disappointed in our marriage.  We are social creatures and need others to complete us, but we cannot see one person as our entire source of happiness; rather we need to find happiness from a broad social circle and from within.

Happiness is not about getting the big things right. It’s natural to think that if we were suddenly rich, beautiful and living on the beach somewhere, we’d be happy. But that type of good fortune turns out to have a surprisingly small impact on happiness. The happiest people are most often not those in the most enviable circumstances, but those who cultivate positive emotional outlooks and actions. So how can we do it? Take concrete steps to practice optimism, gratitude, kindness and self-compassion in your everyday life, says Wallace. The cumulative effect of those everyday choices can have a tremendous impact on how you experience your life.

Happiness only comes when life is perfect. This is a misconception. We often delude ourselves to think that in order to be happy we must have all of our ideal conditions fulfilled. We must have a nice house and a healthy income and a perfect partner and a loving family and well-behaved children and a dog named Lucky and red BMW and no worries whatsoever – then we will be happy. But let’s be honest, how many people can honestly say that they have every single one of their ideal conditions met? Do you honestly believe that will happen to you anytime soon? And do you plan to wait around in misery until that day comes? Of course not! Happiness is a choice. Look around you. What are the things you value the most? They can be tiny things, and maybe you never even considered them before. Maybe it’s the fact that your best friend is coming to visit next week or your boss complimented your work yesterday. Maybe your kid drew you a picture to hang on your fridge or your mom called to see how you’re doing. When we start appreciating the tiny things, we realize that the greatest and most amazing gift we have is the fact that we are alive another day.

Money does not bring happiness. Well, it almost doesn’t bring happiness. Money is an indicator of happiness only up to a certain point. When it relieves poverty and financial pressures, money does have a significant impact on happiness. That is because it offers the ability to live comfortably – having enough to eat, affording a place to live, being able to go to the doctor, etc. But once people pass an average middle-class income, even big financial gains don’t increase happiness much. Also, people who give away money sustain greater levels of happiness over time than those who don’t. However, it’s interesting to note that even when government aid supports personal finances, unemployment has disastrous effects on happiness, and appears to even increase the rates of divorce and suicide and the severity of disease.

Happiness is a choice. There are many things in life you don’t have control over, but you do have a choice about where you place your attention. You can feed stories that keep you afraid, despairing, and emotionally upset. You can convince yourself that you are unworthy of happiness. Or you can move your attention to the truth of what is present now.

Turn up the radio. Music can give your mood an instant boost. Research published in the Journal of Positive Psychology in 2013 showed that students who listened to happy music in an effort to feel better experienced elevations in mood. Another study, published in the journal Science in 2013, showed that a part of the brain's reward system, the nucleus accumbens, is activated when you hear new music. Rock on.

Happiness is only for those who deserve it. It’s easy to feel guilty for what we have when we look on the news and see starving children and fleeing refugees. It’s easy to ask, why do I deserve to be happy when these people are suffering so much? What gives me the right? And then we bring ourselves more distress because we start feeling bad about feeling good. How does that make sense? The pursuit of happiness is a basic human right that cannot be taken from anyone, and it was considered so vital that it was included in the Declaration of Independence. So why should we ever feel guilty? Even criminals and outcasts of society still have the right to find happiness, and who are we to deny it? Of course the law still applies, but overall social status should not affect whether someone can seek happiness.

Smiling actually does make you feel happy. Nothing is more annoying than the stranger that tells you to smile. They might be well meaning, but when you're stressed, sad or anxious, often the last thing you feel like doing is smiling. However, a 1998 study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that facial expressions do effect mood. Participants in the study who matched positive facial expressions had a corresponding positive change in mood. Pay attention to the expression on your face. If you're feeling tense or sad, allow yourself a relaxed smile now and then. Try a half smile. Ease the muscles of the face and slightly turn up the corners of the mouth and see if, with some time, your mood improves.

Happiness breeds more happiness. When you incline your thoughts, feelings, and actions toward happiness, you create a happiness momentum. How to do that? Don’t be afraid to be happy.

Orient your life toward situations and people you enjoy. Notice what is already working, rather than what needs to be changed. Open your heart to recognize your many blessings.

Whether we choose to admit it or not, there is a part of each of us that takes pleasure or comfort in exerting some form of control.  Let’s be honest, most of us who have experienced a serious relationship have attempted to change something about our significant other.  We think: if I can just fix this about them, then I know our relationship will be happy.   Many exert their attempts for control through addiction, eating disorders, domestic abuse, or other social and self-destructive behaviors.  Although we cannot control the hand we are dealt, we do have control over how we deal with it.  Our minds are much stronger than we think, and by retraining our conscious thoughts to think positive, we can ultimately make lasting impressions on our subconscious thoughts.

Ditch the dark attire. Wear bright colors instead -- and be sure to include some yellow. Happier people prefer that hue, a 2010 study found. People who were anxious or depressed were more likely to associate their mood with the color gray. It’s however a myth that happy people suppress negative emotions. Happy people actually experience sadness, grief, worry and other so-called negative emotions nearly as frequently as unhappy people do. The difference is what happens when those feelings occur. Happier people are generally able to experience negative feelings without losing hope for the future. They give themselves permission to feel sad, angry, or lonely, but they remain confident that things will get better. As a result, their sadness progresses into hope and action rather than regressing into anxiety and despair.

Happier people are more resilient. People who are optimistic about the future, and about their ability to make an impact on their future, are better suited to persevere in the face of adversity and find opportunities for growth. It turns out that positive emotions are a key ingredient of resilience in the face of adversity.

Enduring happiness is possible. This is the essential starting point. You can have faith that enduring happiness is possible. How do I know?

I used to live with lots of inner struggles, wondering why I couldn’t be happy. Years ago, I heard about the possibility of ending suffering. I didn’t know how to achieve it, but I was set on fire to find out.

Now I know. If you make the choice to live a conscious life in every moment and investigate how you get in your own way, enduring happiness is possible. (Gail Brenner)

Make sure the temperature is right. Research has shown a clear link between warm weather and happy moods. But a 2011 study showed that happiness tends to peak not at the sorts of temperatures you might find on a beach in summertime, but rather at a less balmy 57.02 degrees fahrenheit. Who knew?

You can retrain your brain to be happy. This is one of the main tenants of positive psychology – that happiness can be reprogrammed in our brains. Positive psychology advocate Shawn Achor put it best when he said:

The problem is that the brain is like a single processor in a computer. It only has a finite amount of resources for experience in the world, which means that that person that walks into the room is using the majority of the resources to scan for the things which cause them to feel more negative, to make them feel more unhappy.

Reprogramming the brain does not take a big effort either. Achor cites a study where pessimists were asked to write down three things they are grateful for every morning they came into work, for 21 days in a row. This helps those who are used to scan the world for the negative to change their patterns, and instead scan the world to look for things they are grateful for. As it turns out, after the 21 days the pattern gets retained in the brain. In fact, a 21-day gratitude exercise in adults with neuromuscular disease resulted in more optimistic ratings of one’s life, better sleep duration and quality, and a greater sense of connectedness to others (compared to a control group).

Happier people do better in their jobs. A recent study found that happy people make more money and obtain better job performance reviews than do unhappy people.

Happiness is Contagious. Like a cold, happiness can be caught from the people around you. According to a 2008 study in the British Medical Journal, people who were surrounded by many happy people were more likely to become happy in the future. In fact, happiness extended as much as 3 degrees of separation. If you want to improve your own mood, look at the network of people you surround yourself with. It may be in your own best interest to seek out those friends and acquaintances who are happy.

If you want to be happy, look at how you make yourself unhappy. Happiness is your true nature. It is here, always available, but is masked by your conditioning. If you want to know happiness, these automatic habits and patterns need to be untangled.

Don’t wait for happiness to miraculously appear in your life. Notice when you are unhappy, and investigate:

What are you thinking?

What are you believing?

What emotional reaction has captured you?

Become an expert in how your conditioning works and the ways it affects you. You will see that these habits are stressful and depleting. Then, you are faced with a choice. Make the commitment to no longer feed them with your attention. They don’t serve you anyway, so let them soften and dissolve.

When you stop buying into the patterns that make you unhappy, simply relax and feel the sense of well being that is possible.

Maybe stop by the florist on your way home. Floral odors can make you happy, floral odors promote social interaction, Dr. Jeannette Haviland-Jones, a professor of psychology at Rutgers University, told LiveScience in 2010. She co-authored a study in which college students were asked to write an essay. Some were in a lightly floral-scented room and others were in an odorless room. Those in the scented room used about three times as many happiness-related words in their essay than the other group.

It’s inherited. Next time you’re feeling the blues, you can blame your parents for it. Researchers at the University of Minnesota tracked identical twins who were raised by different families from infancy. As identical genetic copies, these pairs of twins help researchers untangle the nature vs. nurture debate. What they discovered is that around 44-53% of happiness at any given time is inherited.

Researchers identified common genes resulting in personality traits that predispose people to happiness. If you’re lucky enough, your parents have given you an ‘affective reserve’ of happiness that you can rely on in stressful times. But the good news is that genetics only account for half of your well being. You can claim control over the remaining part of your happiness!

A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. These are the words from a recent research study that shows that people spend on average half of their waking hours thinking about something other than the task at hand and that these wandering thoughts cause unhappiness.

When you realize that your mind has wandered, shift your attention into the present. Simply see, hear, taste, touch, and breathe. Experience reality as it is unfolding right in this moment. There is no struggle here, only peace, ease, and happiness.

That thing about it's better to give than receive? It's true. In a 2012 study, men and women reported feeling significantly happier immediately after buying something for someone else than when making a purchase for themselves. Why not spread some cheer?

Happier people have better relationships. Being happy makes people more interested in befriending you. When we are happy, we behave in certain ways that make people enjoy being around us more. The friends we already have will be more likely to stick with us when the chips are down if the chips aren’t always down. But note that pursuing happiness is not self-centered according to some people’s beliefs. The strongest of all conclusions drawn by researchers into emotional well-being is that our happiness is determined more by our relationships with other people than by any other single factor. The happiest people build their lives around good, trusting relationships. If other priorities are getting in the way of your relationships, says Wallace, take steps to shift the balance back to where it will really make a difference.

You need to get serious about happiness. Moments of happiness may appear, but if you want to be truly, deeply happy, you need to get down to serious business. The power of habits is strong, so happiness takes a great willingness to be aware.

Make the commitment to happiness, keep it alive in every moment, and you will see results. Guaranteed.

Depends on your political colors. Political leanings actually affect your level of happiness. It might surprise some of you, but conservatives are happier than liberals. Who’s most unhappy? Liberal men, it turns out. Conservative women are the happiest: over 40% of them reported that they are very happy.

One social psychology theory proposes that conservatives often rationalize social injustice in order to explain the status quo, which might be why they are happier than liberals. However, studies have revealed that it’s more about conservatives’ predominant attitudes, worldview and capacity for positive adjustment. Conservatives express more personal control and feeling of responsibility, more optimism and self-worth, greater religiosity and moral clarity, a generalized belief in fairness and less tolerance of transgressions. All this accounts for the happiness gap between conservatives and liberals.

Happiness feels good. Perhaps this is the most obvious benefit: it feels better day-to-day if you’re happy than it does if you’re unhappy.   This benefit isn’t just psychological  happier people live better, and live longer.

Emotions last only a few seconds. If you've ever been stuck in a bad mood for days on end, this might sound unlikely. But the reality is that each emotion we experience lasts only a few seconds. A bad mood that goes on for days is the result of the same emotions being triggered over and over. The most likely trigger: our thoughts. So pay attention to what you're thinking if you're continually anxious and on edge or are stuck in sadness or anger. Are you re-triggering the emotion by continually thinking about what originally made you anxious, sad or angry?

Emotions are complex and full of surprising. The more you understand about how your emotions function, the better you will be at getting out of the negatives and catching those happy vibes.

Happiness is always present and available. You can spend a lifetime trying to work out your past so you can feel resolved. And sometimes these tangles need attention.

But don’t put off happiness one more second. Don’t delay happiness by thinking things need to be perfect before you are happy.

Instead, go deeply into the direct experience of this present moment, right now. Let all boundaries and mental structures collapse, including the idea that you are a separate entity in this vast universe of love. This is the doorway to the enduring happiness you are searching for.

Become a master of something. Whether it's playing an instrument or learning chess, mastering a skill can be stressful -- and stress and happiness just don't get along too well. But a 2009 study showed that over the long term, mastery is linked with happiness. Plus, you'll have cool bragging rights.

Gratefulness brings happiness.

Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have

Rabbi Hyman Schachtel.

Jeff Larsen is a researcher at the Positive Psychology Center, focusing on the precursors of happiness. He set out to test Rabbi Schachtel’s quote by asking undergraduates whether they possessed each of 52 material items and the extent to which they wanted them. Both wanting what they had and having what they wanted accounted for unique variance in happiness, but when the subjects wanted what they had it actually mediated the positive effect of gratitude on happiness. Rabbi Schachtel’s quote is right on: it’s important to want and be grateful for what you have.

Happier people are more creative. People who experience positive emotions on a regular basis are better at a wide variety of mental tasks that tap things like self-discipline, creativity, and decision-making.

Happiness from one-off events is short-lived. You might think that getting your dream job, winning the lottery or receiving a big raise will permanently change your life for the better. While about 40% of your happiness depends on this kind of one-off events, this type of happiness is short-lived. These big events can sometimes take years to achieve, but the happiness derived from them disappears in just a few months. That’s why when trying to achieve long-time goals it’s more about the journey than the destination. Don’t think a feat or achievement will bring about your happiness. Have you ever noticed that when someone wins the Super Bowl or an Academy Award, or when you achieve a long-sought ambition, that wonderful sense of accomplishment and happiness seems to fade faster than you’d expect? That’s just the way our brains work, says Wallace. Committed goal pursuit is one of the keys to a happy life, but most of the happiness we get from striving for goals comes while we’re making progress toward them, not after we achieve them. That’s why it’s so important that we choose goals that are in synch with what we love and value, and that we make a conscious effort to enjoy them along the way.

Thoughts undermine your happiness. Become very knowledgeable about the kinds of thoughts that undermine your happiness. Then, when you notice that they have taken hold, relax your attention away from them. Make a vow to say No to the thoughts, and say Yes! to happiness every time they appear.

These thinking patterns can’t possibly support you in being happy:

Self-criticism

Compulsive worrying

Regrets about the past

Stories of how you have been wronged

Thoughts about how things should be different than they are.

When they are present, you will know, as you feel heavy, tense, and depleted. Now you have the chance to make the essential choice. Just say no, every time. And as you do, you dip into the endless well of happiness that is here in this very moment.

Get some retail therapy. But get the right kind. Research has shown that buyers are generally more happy when purchasing an experience -- like tickets to a concert or football game -- than when purchasing an object.

Why Become Happy?

A job well done.

A little puppy was rescued just this second.

A real home. With people in it you love.

Afternoon naps that take you back to childhood.

Aliens (probably) didn’t probe you today.

Always look forward for tomorrow, because you might just meet another friend whom you will treasure and who will cherish you in return.

Anticipating the day you do.

Appreciate the rain that could hide the tears flowing from your eyes, remember that a rainbow always appears after the heavy rains.

Babies.

Be glad that there are no signs of wrinkles on your face, simply because you tend to live as happy as always.

Be happy about the simple things that surround you. They might not offer much sometimes, but they can still offer something, just like you.

Be happy because you are healthy. No ailments can stop you from fulfilling the things you want to accomplish today.

Be happy because you are rich. Wealth is not measured by how much you earn but how much you have gained. There is no greater treasure than having the people who you cherished most stand by you in difficult times.

Be happy because you can sing. Even if you are out of tune, there are people who can still appreciate your melody.

Be happy because you have the love of your life, he or she might not be with you today, but he or she is waiting for you to be together.

Be happy for the many trials that you might be experiencing right now because you can still smile, and you are not alone. The trials can make you a stronger person.

Be happy for the time that you have spent your youth. It may be true youth is wasted on the young, but that wasted time made you who you are, because you have been able to learn something.

Be happy now that the world is still revolving. As long as it is rotating, then there is always hope to solve any misunderstandings.

Be happy that every time you fall asleep, you can still wake up the next day and greet a new day with a smile.

Be happy that you are not late because you have proven that you can change, one step at a time.

Be happy that you can be a precious gift to someone when you don’t value yourself sometimes. It is high time to give more importance to yourself for the sake of those people who think that you are a treasure.

Be happy that you can eat anything you want because most people have restrictions in their diet. When you grow older, you too might not enjoy it anymore.

Be happy that you have a home to go to. Warm bed and meal to satisfy your need to rest and to eat.

Be happy that you have met people who brought you sadness because you learned the real value of the people who truly love you the way you are.

Be happy to wear daring clothes today, there is a great possibility that you won’t enjoy anything like it again.

Be happy today and don’t think about tomorrow. You have things in your hand right now to be happy about, reserve the things for tomorrow to be enjoyed for tomorrow.

Be proud and be happy that you can manage to survive everyday pressures of everyday life without breaking down and without breaking anything.

Bear hugs.

Being alive should be enough reason to be happy about, but there are still many things to be thankful for. As long as you are alive, there is always hope.

Being unhappy is a waste of time.

Billions of bees have flown past you during your lifetime, but 99.99% of them decided not to sting you.

Central heating & hot water.

Choose to live a healthy way of life then you might be able to reach your 100th birthday still looking as young as you are now. There is no impossible with modern technology and a healthy lifestyle.

Christmas lights and snow angels.

Cooking / eating your favorite meal.

Cuddles.

Dopplegangers — someone who looks exactly like you is living in a parallel reality.

Each passing day is a carrier of new knowledge and great appreciation for the things that are right before your eyes.

Early mornings before anyone else wakes up.

Even if you are not the best adviser, someone will always listen. Even if your life is full of woes, someone will always hear you out.

Even if you think that there is no one by your side, someone loves you. Each person has at least one person that cares about him or her even if that person is not around.

Every day is an opportunity to make yourself someone whom you wanted to be, without losing your unique personality.

Every day is like an adventure, and you will never know what lies ahead unless you stick around and go with the flow.

Every particle of your body was forged in the stars. You are star stuff. Literally.

Feeling different kinds of pain and emotions are the things that make you human, be happy that you can still feel and acknowledge the feelings.

Find happiness in accepting that there are things that you cannot change. Instead of continuously worrying about those things, learn to accept them and hope, it will be better tomorrow.

Flowers are beautiful. In the wild. Or given to you by someone who cares.

Free video calling across the globe rocks.

Halloween and cute costumed kids are on the way.

Have you ever took the time to go out early in the morning and wait for the sun to greet you with a gentle kiss with its ray of light? There is unexplained surge of happiness that wells up and one can end up crying not because she suddenly becomes sad, but because the affirmation that someone does care is undeniably strong.

Have you seen a setting sun? Be happy that you can somehow see the setting of the sun today, and feel just how glorious the day turned out to be.

In a world filled with stars, music, auroras, tiger cubs, devas, purple irises, chocolate and friends, gratitude is good.

It’s fall and the leaves are about to turn glorious shades of warmth.

It’s summer somewhere and the rugby world cup is on.

Kindness cures most everything.

Lemonade stands.

Life of purpose.

Like minded people who get you.

Love is your religion.

Loving yourself first.

Mass consciousness.

Meeting your old enemy today might be a chance to end the war between the two of you. Say your piece and whether it is accepted, or not, you will be one who will feel better in the end.

Music — dance, soul, rock, funk, reggae, disco, Indie, Bhangra, jazz, country, all sorts.

No matter what happens to your body, no one can take away your choice to be happy.

Nutella.

Out of 300 million sperm, you were the one that made it. YOU WERE BORN A WINNER — beating out ALL the other spermsicles!

People have been mean to you. But you are still here. The best revenge is to be your amazing self.

Rainbows make you happy.

Right now, you could be lost without water in a scorching desert or stranded at the north pole with no coat… but you’re not.

She’s got your memoirs under lock and key.

Smell the flowers along the way, literally. Their sweet scents are enough to calm a restless heart.

Someone believed in you when you needed it most.

Someone brought cupcakes to work and gave you one.

Someone smiled at you today.

Something fabulous is out there, taking shape. Emerging, peeking, calling your name. Get excited! You’ve travelled somewhere and had an amazing experience.

Something you’ve been wanting just happened.

Somewhere in the world, a new mom is gazing at her new baby.

Stairs and curbs require balance, yet you’ve managed to survive every single one you’ve ever encountered.

Sunrise.

Sunsets.

Sunshine.

Surprises hide beyond every curve in the road. Today could be your best ever. `

Teenagers.

The ancestors are smiling upon you right now, even if you’re doing something embarrassing.

The interwebs make your world smaller, closer, more connected.

The Northern Lights exist.

There are a minimum of two people who will always be proud of you – you and that someone you hold dear.

There are good people in the world.

There is always another day to make yourself better. Don’t fret and waste your time feeling sad and hopeless for a mistake you made. Rest for now and tomorrow you can make it better.

There is always hope for as long as the sun keeps on shining. It might be difficult sometimes, but hope is always there.

There is no greater happiness than being happy with the little things you have. People that find no contentment will never find happiness, because they always look for more things than they already have.

There is no room for loneliness for someone as beautiful as you. Think of how beautiful you are and be glad that you are indeed someone gorgeous.

There is someone you can tell your deepest, darkest secrets.

There’s a solid roof over your head and it’s not raining on you.

There’s something you can do better than anyone.

Today could be the best day of your life. Things could turn on a dime.

Today is the best day to do an act of kindness to a total stranger, and remember that feeling after you have done it.

Toddlers.

Transmogrifiers exist in an alternate reality where Calvin and Hobbes are real.

Truth is always hard to accept, be happy that you can somehow manage to handle the truth and accept it as a part of your life.

Waking up next to someone you love.

When thick rays of sunlight find your face, your eyes glow brighter than ever.

When you really needed help, someone offered it to you unexpectedly. At least once in your life. If not more.

Worth saying again but someone loves you. Very, very, very much.

You are a genius at something.

You are an angel to someone.

You are beautiful/handsome. – I say this all the time and people just roll their eyes at me. You are an original and it doesn’t get any better than THE original. Let me put it in perspective for you – Would you like me to send you a calendar with copies of paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Monet, or would you like me to mail you an original painting by one of those gentlemen? I can’t hear you? What did you say? Uh huh! That’s what I thought you would say.

You are deeply treasured and cherished as an offspring, sibling, friend, lover, parent, relative, and/or co-worker. Your presence is of utmost importance to the people around you.

You are growing older. Aging with all the wrinkles, gray hair and saggy baggies are wonderful gifts. So many people do not make it to old age and if you’re there, not only are you smarter now than you’ve ever been, but you are more beautiful/handsome. You can quote me – Insides make the outsides. I’ve met some beautiful/handsome people and after I get to know them, they become the ugliest people I’ve ever seen. So say it with me, I am so happy that I’m getting older AND better!

You are healthy

You are inspiring to someone.

You are loved by the fabric of the universe, every molecule sings your praises.

You are loved. – That is rather self-explanatory. There are people on this planet that love and care about you. Doesn’t that cause a smile to creep onto your lips and pull them towards your cheeks?

You are neither employed or self-employed, but trust that it’s all happening perfectly.

You are talented. – Yes, you are an original mixture of many talents and each day you express yourself using those talents. If anyone rejects to this one, speak up.

You are unique, and there is no one else like you in this world. You are not an imitation or a cheap replica. You are you, and be proud of who you are.

You believed in someone else when no one else did.

You believed in yourself when no one else did.

You can afford three meals a day.

You can breathe. – Seriously! Hold your breath for three minutes and then tell me how happy you are that you can breathe. So start holding your breathe now and read the rest of this post…then breathe. I want to know how happy you are that you can breathe ox-y-gen.

You can bring joy to someone although you cannot bring happiness to all. It is enough that your existence is appreciated with few people you can trust.

You can dream highly, and the very thought of making it come true will surely bring happiness to your heart. Plan everything now and reap its fruits later.

You can laugh. – I love smiling and laughing which is precisely why I post the Chuckle of the Day. Remember the old saying that Laughter is the best medicine. Laughing makes you feel better! Cows may say, Eat more chicken, but I say, Laugh more! Go ahead and laugh right now for no reason. Laugh loud!

You can play your favorite games, watch your favorite program, or just do things that you love together with your favorite people.

You can read. – Yep, I also know you can read because you are reading this post and it is giving you happy feelings! You’re sitting at work, about to go to a meeting, but you had a few minutes so you’re reading