I love to read. Most of the growth that has occurred throughout the course of my adult life has come at the hands of a book. I”m a huge believer in, whenever possible, learning from the failures of others rather than experiencing my own.
Why go through the hard stuff yourself if you don’t have to?
There are times when you must experience your own failure or trials to fully understand a lesson but I personally do that as seldom as possible. As a matter of fact, this has been a prayer of mine my entire adult life and I can genuinely say it has been generously answered.
If I can grasp the lesson through someone else’s experience, you best believe that is what I will do.
Business tycoon and success magnate, Warren Buffet, once said, “When people tell me they’ve learned from experience, I tell them the trick is to learn from other people’s experience.” YES!
So when it comes to the issue of happiness, it should come as no surprise that I look to the wisdom learned through other’s experiences to help shape how I handle challenging situations and maintain happiness in my own life.
The best book I’ve read, and the greatest lessons I’ve learned on this matter of happiness have come from countless interviews of couples happily married 25-plus years, and a book by Richard Carlson called You Can Be Happy No Matter What.
If you’ve never read this book, I highly recommend it. He speaks from a psychologist point of view (of which I am not) and helped me understand why and how happiness is possible in spite of every external situation in life.
I don’t write book reviews but I’ve found myself sharing this book with my friends lately so I wanted to share it with my online friends, as well. Happiness is all about the mind; it’s all about choice. And as a proud card-carrying member (and founder 
) of the Happy Wives Club, I make this choice daily in my marriage and life.
As I was getting my car washed earlier today, I came across a Blue Mountain card that made me think about the above. I actually bought the card, not because I have anyone to give it to, but so I could share the contents with you. Granted, these aren’t all the keys, but they are a few great ones.
5 Keys to Happiness
1. Realize that happiness is a choice…you can make the decision to “be happy” each day.
2. Remember that happiness is contagious. Make someone smile, and the good feelings come right back to you.
3. Be grateful for the little things in life that are free. Make a list, and add to it each morning.
4. Believe that ultimately everything happens for a reason. Acceptance leads the way to happiness.
5. Give away some courage every day! When you encourage another to “Keep going,” “hang in there,” or “believe in your dreams,” you will find an unending source of happiness.
Until tomorrow…make it a great day!
JOIN THE 1,000,000 MEMBER CHALLENGE: If you haven’t already done it, what are you waiting for? Join the club! It takes only a few seconds and, of course, is free.
