15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

Here is a list of 15 things, which, if you give up on them, will make your life a lot easier and you’ll feel much, much happier. We hold on to so many things that cause us a great deal of pain, stress and suffering – and instead of letting them all go and allowing ourselves to be stress-free and happy, we cling on to them.
Well, not anymore. Starting today, we will give up on all those things that no longer serve us, and we will embrace change. Ready? Here we go!
1. Give up your need to always be right. There are so many of us who can’t stand the idea of being wrong – wanting to always be right – even at the risk of ending great relationships or causing a great deal of stress and pain for us and for others. It’s just not worth it. Whenever you feel the “urgent” need to jump into a fight over who is right and who is wrong, ask yourself this question from Dr. Wayne Dyer: “Would I rather be right, or would I rather be kind?” What difference will that make? Is your ego really that big?
2. Give up your need for control. Be willing to give up your need to always control everything that happens to you and around you – situations, events, people, etc. Whether they are loved ones, co-workers, or just strangers you meet on the street – just allow them to be. Allow everything and everyone to be just as they are and you will see how much better will that make you feel.

“By letting it go, it all gets done. The world is won by those who let it go. But when you try and try. The world is beyond winning.” Lao Tzu

3. Give up on blame. Give up on your need to blame others for what you have or don’t have, for what you feel or don’t feel. Stop giving your powers away and start taking responsibility for your life.
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk. Oh my. How many people are hurting themselves because of their negative, polluted and repetitive self-defeating mindset? Don’t believe everything that your mind is telling you – especially if it’s negative and self-defeating. You are better than that.

 “The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive.” Eckhart Tolle

5. Give up your limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot do, about what is possible or impossible. From now on, you are no longer going to allow your limiting beliefs to keep you stuck in the wrong place. Spread your wings and fly!

“A belief is not an idea held by the mind, it is an idea that holds the mind.” Elly Roselle

6. Give up complaining. Give up your constant need to complain about those many, many, maaany things – people, situations and events that make you unhappy, sad and depressed. Nobody can make you unhappy, no situation can make you sad or miserable unless you allow it to. It’s not the situation that triggers those feelings in you, but how you choose to look at it. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.
7. Give up the luxury of criticism. Give up your need to criticize things, events or people that are different than you. We are all different, yet we are all the same. We all want to be happy, we all want to love and be loved and we all want to be understood. We all want something, and something is wished by us all.
8. Give up your need to impress others. Stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not just to make others like you. It doesn’t work this way. The moment you stop trying so hard to be something that you’re not, the moment you take of all your masks, the moment you accept and embrace the real you, you will find people will be drawn to you, effortlessly.
9. Give up your resistance to change. Change is good. Change will help you move from A to B. Change will help you make improvements in your life and also the lives of those around you. Follow your bliss, embrace change – don’t resist it.

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” Joseph Campbell

10. Give up labels. Stop labeling the things, people or events that you don’t understand as being weird or different and try opening your mind, little by little. Minds only work when open.

“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” Dr. Wayne Dyer

11. Give up on your fears. Fear is just an illusion, it doesn’t exist – you created it. It’s all in your mind. Correct the inside and the outside will fall into place.

“The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

12. Give up your excuses. Send them packing and tell them they’re fired. You no longer need them. A lot of times we limit ourselves because of the many excuses we use. Instead of growing and working on improving ourselves and our lives, we get stuck and lie to ourselves, using all kind of excuses – excuses that 99.9% of the time, are not even real.
13. Give up the past. I know, I know. This one’s hard. Especially when the past looks so much better than the present and the future looks so frightening. But, you have to take into consideration the fact that the present moment is all you have and all you will ever have. The past you are now longing for – the past that you are now dreaming about – was ignored by you when it was present. Stop deluding yourself. Be present in everything you do and enjoy life. After all, life is a journey not a destination. Have a clear vision for the future, prepare yourself, but always be present in the now.
14. Give up attachment. This is a concept that, for most of us, is so hard to grasp and I have to tell you that it was for me too (it still is), but it’s not impossible. You get better and better at it with time and practice. The moment you detach yourself from all things (and that doesn’t mean you give up your love for them – because love and attachment have nothing to do with one another. Attachment comes from a place of fear, while love… well, real love is pure, kind, and selfless; where there is love there can’t be fear, and because of that, attachment and love cannot co-exist) you become so peaceful, so tolerant, so kind, and so serene. You will get to a place where you will be able to understand all things without even trying. A state beyond words.
15. Give up living your life to other people’s expectations. Way too many people are living a life that is not theirs to live. They live their lives according to what others think is best for them; they live their lives according to what their parents think is best for them; to what their friends, their enemies and their teachers, their government and the media think is best for them. They ignore their inner voice, that inner calling. They are so busy with pleasing everybody, with living up to other people’s expectations, that they lose control over their lives. They forget what makes them happy, what they want, what they need… and eventually, they forget about themselves.  You have one life – this one right now – you must live it, own it, and especially don’t let other people’s opinions distract you from your path

Try to Give More

By Craig Ballantyne

Last week I was emailing back and forth with a frustrated business partner. We'll call him, "G." Like you, G works hard to support his family, but he's in a niche industry and he doesn't see a lot of room for improvement. On the other hand, I do, and I truly believe there is huge potential for his business. But he's hung up on one thing that's making him really unhappy.

So let me tell you a little bit more about G. First, he's an industry veteran and expert. That makes it tough, as you can imagine, to watch young upstart folks with less experience just burst into the scene and start making gobs of money.

Do you ever feel that way?

I think almost everyone does, regardless of how successful they have been in the past. It's human nature. But you don't have to let it get to you.

Unfortunately, G's frustrated because he sees so many "mainstream products" making money faster than he is in his smaller niche market. And that's okay. We all get discouraged from time to time.

But there's no point in comparing ourselves to anyone else because that only brings one thing that I'll reveal in a moment.

Back to my email conversation with G. I started explaining to him why he needs to forget his fantasies about having a Mega-Mass-Market-Product-

Launch in his business, and how in fact, by going deeper into his niche, he can actually be even more successful.

Here's the exact email I sent to my friend...

"G, trust me, it's best that you don't even bother thinking about trying to sell to the mass market at all. Maybe one day you'll have some mainstream breakthrough, but until then you are so much better off putting your energy into niche-related relationships and promotions.

At the end of the day the main benefit of your program is also admittedly the main limiting factor in the road we've chosen to travel with your business. Your solution is not one that everyone wants or even has the ability to use.

That's a fact of life and we need to make lemonade out of the lemons.

Now while that brings down the total pool of customers, and I know that's a little disheartening, there's still plenty of good news.

There's still so much untapped opportunity among your Niche Market connections that you'll do fine. The growth potential is easily 3 times in 2013 and 5-10 times today's numbers by the end of 2014.

I want you to take this advice. First, don't get discouraged for too long. If you start feeling that way, give yourself 10 minutes to mope and then hit the reset button. Never forget that we still have easier lives than 99% of the world and remember this quote when you start comparing yourself to others:

'He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.' - Epictetus

More important, stop comparing yourself to others. It's the source of almost all unhappiness in life.

Instead, put your energy into your Niche Market scene and look at any promotion from a Mass-Market partner as a bonus.

What will help more than depending on others is to become the most helpful and giving 'business guy' in your Niche industry...meaning that you go out of your way to help anyone and everyone with a Niche-related business.

Listen, you know a lot about how marketing should look and how it should be written. If you visit someone's site and it needs help, email them a tip. If you're on someone's email list and they could use your help, reply with advice. If you see someone putting out a flyer or advertisement that could use improvement, write them a note about how to make it better and teach them the 'reasons why' behind your ideas.

Always make people better and smarter with each interaction you have with them. Help them and teach them something. You'll gain lifelong valuable friends and partners that way.

One of my mentors tried to teach me something over five years ago that unfortunately took me too long to understand. Now that I'm finally getting it, breakthroughs in my life and business are coming faster than ever. Here's the lesson my mentor has been telling his stubborn student for years:

'You cannot out give the universe.' It's one of my favorite Yanik Silver quotes. Now I live it everyday and it's true. It really is. You just have to trust it, and trust the universe, to take care of you once you focus on taking care of everyone else first.

The more you help those others, the more you will help yourself.

As a high level expert in your Niche market (with elite and well-respected technical certifications to prove it), that means something. That puts you ahead of 80% - if not more - of all the other experts in your Niche. Leverage that. Combine that leverage with being the most helpful guy in your Niche marketing scene, and that's where your growth potential is to be found.

The people in your industry need help like this. They all have plenty of technical skills, but they are clueless about building their businesses. You can be the hero and help them with this. You can ease their pain and frustration and turn them into great potential business partners.

the bad habit causing you to fall into this trap in your niche, you build your own sales force that will help promote and support one another to grow the entire industry pie bigger. You make everyone's world a better place.

Trust me, I could go on all day about the potential that is right in front of you. Believe me when I tell you that there is more opportunity out there than you and I could ever get through in our lifetime. You just have to open your eyes and realize that it is ALL around you.

Seek out the opportunity to grow other people.

And try, just try to out give the Universe. I dare you. And I promise you that you'll never beat the universe, but you'll win at the game of life when you give-give-give."

I hope that helps you if you're struggling in your business or career.

The bottom line is to avoid getting sucked into the downward spiral of comparing yourself to someone else. When you find that happening, switch your attention to giving. Give of your knowledge and energy to helping others, and it will set you free of any jealousy or envy that you might have.

It works for me.

Secular Success

What is success? Only you can define it in your own life. In my own life, I have attempted to define both Success and Significance. To me, Success is secular. Significance is spiritual. It doesn't matter how you define your own spirituality. Spiritual matters are always finer, deeper, and longer lasting than secular matters. Success focuses on three Fs: • Fans • Fame • Fortune Success is focused on tasks, even goals. Significance also focuses on three Fs: • Faith • Family • Friends But, significance focuses on purpose. Why am I here? What do I do with the talents, experiences and skills that I have? How can I make the world a better place? How do I plant seeds of greatness in the lives of those around me? How do I make an impact in the circles of influence where I find or place myself? To choose success and significance, you must be a strategic thinker who: • Has a clear vision of what you want to accomplish • Develops a solid strategy that answers three questions:

- Who or what are we today? - Who do we want to become? - How do we get there?

• Employs practical systems to achieve your goals • Commits to consistent execution because in consistency, success emerges. When implementing your strategic plan for success, it really comes down to three "Ds": Decide what you want most to achieve Determine the first step to getting what you want Do the first thing that will start you moving toward your goal. Using these seven keys, you can choose success and significance. But keep this in mind: success is not a matter of luck, not an accident of birth, not a reward for virtue. The most successful people I know are the ones who have something to do, somewhere to be and someone to love. No one is responsible for your success or your joy. You must search for it and be in a continual state of earning it. To merely succeed is not an end in itself. You must use your success to impact other people...to impact the world...to Live Life from the Inside Out. It all starts with the choices you make—they determine the person you will become.

"Nutritional" needs of a relationship

Just as our bodies need certain amounts of vitamins and nutrients
to remain healthy and alive, our relationships have needs, that if
not met, can cause it to get sick and perhaps die.

I've divided the "nutritional" needs of a relationship into four
groups.

* Communication
* Physical Intimacy
* Recreation
* Spiritual Growth

How much effort do you put forth to make sure the needs of your
mate are being filled?  Now, notice that I did not say YOUR needs.
The common advice I see today is "me, me me."  "Take care of
yourself first because nobody else will."  Well, that selfish
advice might work for some relationships, but not in blissful ones.

For example, you might only need 10 minutes of physical intimacy
each week whereas only 10 minutes for your mate would make them
starve.  If you aren't providing the nutritional needs for your
spouse, they will either wither away in the relationship or try to
find "nutrition" outside of it.

To discover what your needs are individually and as a couple, I
would recommend that you two sit down and create a chart to put on
your refrigerator or elsewhere.  Talk about how much time each week
or month both of you need to devote to the four areas above.  As
the weeks progress, you can take note of how well you are
fulfilling your goal and alter your requirements as time goes by.

Take each of the four groups and discuss with your mate the various
ways you can fulfill the nutritional requirements in your
relationship. There is more than one way to satisfy each category.

Here are just a few to get you started.

Communication - Calling each other from work, emails to each other,
love letters, talking in bed before going to sleep

Physical intimacy - holding hands, hugging, foot rubs, passionate
intercourse, snuggling on the sofa

Recreation - playing card games, bowling, going out to dinner,
gardening, daily walks (also under communication), going to concerts

Spiritual Growth - meditating and praying together, attending a
small group meeting devoted to spiritual growth, reading a
spiritual book together, attending a church, synagogue or mosque

A lot of men and women make the mistake of thinking that their
mate's "nutritional " needs can be satisfied by others.  They
believe friends, coworkers and even children can fulfill all the
communication, recreation and spiritual needs when they aren't
around. That is like saying man-made vitamins can replace the
vitamins that you get out of real food.  They can't.

So, that means you should take that evening stroll with your wife
even if you are tired.  You should be intimate with your mate when
they request it nicely.  If your mate is attending a house of
worship, you should too (whether you get anything out of it isn't
the issue).  And yes, you should turn off the TV and talk with your
spouse even if you say you aren't a "talker" - listening is part of
communication too.

If you truly want a thriving and healthy relationship, you need to
learn the "nutritional" needs of your mate and do your best to
fulfill them.

The Out-Laws in your family

Love them or hate them, nearly every married person interacts with
his or her in-laws on a regular basis.

In-laws have the potential to destroy a perfectly blissful
relationship if we let them.  They also have the ability to save
marriages when the road gets rocky if we seek their advice.  How we
deal with our extended families is a core element in our quest for
a blissful relationship.

All men and women should realize that when they get married, they
have created a new family.  Your new husband or wife becomes your
new family.  Everyone else is part of the "extended" family --
which means they should not be as close to you as your spouse.
Your mom, dad, sisters and brothers lose their priority and
importance in your life. If you are not ready to place them below
your mate, then you probably aren't ready to get married.

This is a very difficult concept for many parents to embrace.
After all, they spend twenty or so years being the number one
person in their child's eye.  They sacrificed so much to bring
their child to this point in their life.  But hopefully, they have
reared their offspring to become adults, not to stay as children.
Many men and women have to respectfully, but forcefully let their
parents know that they are all grown up and that their husband/wife
is now their number one priority and center of their life.

Here are some tips on dealing with in-laws.

* When you are first married, DO NOT live with in-laws (unless it
is your country's custom).  If you cannot afford a place of your
own, then why are you getting married now?  I can't emphasize this
point strongly enough.

* Make a rule that your in-laws cannot just "drop by" the first
year or more of your marriage.  Better yet, live at least an hour
or two away from them so you can work on building your own
relationship instead of spending so much time with other family
members.

* If you spend more time each week talking with your parents (in
person or on the phone) than you do with your spouse, then you know
something needs tweaking in your relationship.

* If you and your mate argue or fight, resist the temptation to run
home to your parents.  You need to learn to solve the problems in
your relationship and running away prolongs the solution.  Telling
your parents about all your marital problems makes it difficult for
them to support your marriage.

* If you need advice on a problem you are having in your
relationship, every once in a while talk it over with your in-laws.
 They will be honored that you came to them for advice and they
probably have some good insight into your mate that you could never
get from your own parents.

* Remember that every time you bad mouth your in-laws in front of
your mate, you are tearing up someone they love.

* Show your in-laws kindness even if they are unkind to you.
"Turning the other cheek" will earn you so much respect from your
mate and your in-laws.

* You do not have to visit your in-laws every time your spouse goes
to visit his family.  If they get offended, they need to grow up.

* Send notes and cards to your in-laws from time to time.  Sign
your name only so they know it is just from you.

* Do not let your parents or your in-laws pressure you into having
"grandchildren for them."  If and when you have children is NONE OF
THEIR BUSINESS.  If you need them to "get off your back" tell them
that having children is a private matter between you and your
spouse and that you will let them know when you are expecting.

* If your parents or in-laws are rude, nasty, hateful and negative,
you do not have to visit them.  You can't choose your parents but
you can choose your family.  Just because someone gave birth to you
does not give her any right to ruin your day.  Don't feel guilty
for not visiting extended family that is abusive or demeaning to
you, your spouse or children.

* Come up with a good game plan for holidays.  (see my article -
Decision Time)

* If you are not already engaged, try to spend as much time with
the in-laws as possible, especially if your sweetheart is close to
his or her family.  You need to know what you are getting into.

* Another benefit of getting to know your potential mate's parents
is to see what type of person he or she will potentially become in
10, 20 or 30 years.  Our parents do pass on their genes to us and
like it or not, we often "become like our mother/father."

One final bit of advice for you and your in-laws. Love them, like
them or simply respect them. There is no room in a blissful
relationship for hate.

Becoming Friends with Your Heroes

By Steve Sjuggerud

"You're so lucky Steve... you've gotten to meet and work with all these famous guys..."

When I hear that, I usually say something like, "Yeah, it's hard to believe... I have been pretty fortunate!" and I leave it at that.

But the truth is much different... It's NOT luck. It's NOT good fortune.

There's a secret to doing what I've done. And I will share it with you today...

Maybe there is a bit of "luck" involved... But it didn't happen without me putting myself in luck's "line of fire." Let me give you an example of what I mean...

A while back, I knew I was going to have the chance to shake hands with one of my heroes. 

When I met him, I could have just said, "Uh, gee, it's nice to meet you. I'm a big fan." But that would have been a missed opportunity.

Instead, I spent a few days thinking before I met him... I came up with a plan to make an impact - to give him a chance to want to get to know me...

I got out a 3x5 notecard. And I wrote out what I called "12 Ways to Take Over Your Industry." I included my name, phone number, and e-mail address. When I shook his hand, I smiled and I handed him the card. And that was that...

He could have easily thrown the card away. He could have thought, "Who is this joker?" He could have taken my suggestions, but still never bothered contacting me. For any number of reasons, he could have ignored me.

Instead, he reached out to me. In the end, he tried all of my dozen ideas, except one. Now, when he wants a second opinion on something (from outside of his corporate "yes" men), he sends me an e-mail or gives me a call. And he has included me in events around the world and in his decisions that I've been grateful and flattered to be a part of.

The best part to me is that I can call a hero of mine a friend as well.

That didn't happen because I'm "lucky." It happened because of this simple secret. There are two parts to it:

1. Whenever there is any moment - any crack in the door to put your foot in to meet your hero - you must shove your foot in, and not let it out.
2. You must find a way to give a big benefit to your hero without asking anything in return.

Then you're off. At that point, you have done your best to kick off a potential legitimate friendship.

I have often had to create these moments. Usually, they don't just happen.

For example, this year, I ended up on the phone with another hero of mine. He said: "Next time you're in Nashville, give me a call and we can get together." Look, I'm NEVER in Nashville, but I went to Nashville that week. (I re-routed a flight to have a long layover there.)

I made it happen when the opportunity was there. And it was a fantastic few hours. Another hero of mine is now a friend of mine, too.

Most of the time, it doesn't work out this way. But it's 100% worth trying. Your downside risk is a little "wasted" effort. Your upside is a legitimate friendship with one of your heroes. That's worth it to me!

You can do it. You have to get creative to create the opportunity. You have to offer something that benefits your hero. And you have to do it without asking anything in return.

You have to create your "luck."

It has worked for me. I have been able to get close to many of my heroes - both in business and in my hobbies. And I believe it can work for you, too.

How cool is it to have your heroes as your friends? Just follow these tips, figure out your opportunity, and go for it.

Search of Happiness- Is it Gratitude?

Craig Ballantyne

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." - Albert Camus

---

The Problem With Happiness

By Alex Green

Our nation has a happiness fetish.

Each year, publishers print thousands of books on the subject. Talk show hosts offer advice from psychologists and therapists. Magazine covers promise "The Short-Cut to Happiness" or "The 7 Secrets of Wedded Bliss."

You might reasonably wonder why the market is so large. A Pew Research Center poll reports that almost 85 percent of Americans say they are happy or very happy.

Yet millions want to be happier still. And they feel they could be, if only they pursued it a little more ardently.

Except... that won't work.

Happiness is a by-product. It is achieved indirectly, by producing something beautiful or useful or by making someone else happy. The search for happiness, it turns out, is one of the chief sources of unhappiness.

Take a look around. Much of the economic misery we see today is due to the unbridled pursuit of bigger houses, fancier cars and more exorbitant trips. The lure of consumer culture and an obsession with more is precisely what keeps so many from contentment.

The Stoics argued that happiness results not from pursuing affluence and status but rather virtue and wisdom. Pythagoras, the sixth-century BC philosopher and mathematician, asked that his followers take time, before going to sleep each night, to pose three questions: What have I done? Where have I failed myself? What responsibility have I not fulfilled?

If we fixate instead on gratifying all our desires, we become superficial, acquisitive, deluded or foolish. The headlong rush for happiness can also blind us to serious problems or numb us to the pain of others.

After all, every life is lived between the poles of joy and sadness. Laughter and love are part of it. But so are pain and suffering. To deny the tragic aspects of the world is to suppress a large part of what it means to be human.

Playwright Tennessee Williams understood this. Asked in an interview to define happiness, he replied, "Insensitivity, I guess."

Great artists often try to awaken us - or stir our conscience - by reminding us of the more doleful aspects of life. In response to the 16th Street Church bombing in 1963, an attack by the Ku Klux Klan in Birmingham that killed four girls, saxophonist John Coltrane wrote Alabama, a blues-based instrumental that expresses anguish and sorrow more eloquently than words.

Poetry, too, can inspire us with its sorrowful realizations.

Seventeenth-century British poet Robert Herrick famously wrote, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may/ Old Time is still a-flying; / And this same flower that smiles today / Tomorrow will be dying."

Shakespeare captured the same sentiment in Cymbeline: "Golden lads and girls all must / As chimney-sweepers, come to dust."

History shows that men and women of genius are often melancholic. Consider writers like Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf. Composers like Rossini and Mahler. Statesmen like Lincoln and Churchill. Artists like Michelangelo and Gauguin. Philosophers like Schopenhauer and Kierkegaard.

In 1890, Vincent Van Gogh, overcome by feelings of worthlessness, walked out into the southern French countryside and shot himself in the gut with a pistol. Just 37, he died from the wound two days later. Yet in the previous two years - and despite his bleakness - he completed more than two hundred paintings, many of them masterpieces.

Handel, after years spent at the top of the musical world, fell into terrible poverty, ill health and deep depression. Yet from the depths of profound despair, he completed his greatest work, The Messiah.

Beethoven raged against advancing deafness and his own finitude, yet created immortal works during this period, including his Fifth symphony, his only opera, Fidelio, his late string quartets and the Ninth symphony with its triumphant Ode to Joy.

Not all innovators are melancholy, of course, and not all melancholy souls are innovative. And I don't mean to romanticize clinical depression, an often-debilitating illness.

But there can be no joy without sorrow. No sunrise without the night. Periods of unhappiness are natural and even valuable. How are we to measure our best moments except against those that are not?

Plus, contentment often saps our motivation. Dissatisfaction is the great spur to progress. Imagine the innovations we would lack today if we were satisfied with quill pens, horse-drawn carriages, or the "evil spirits" theory of disease.

Today millions equate happiness with money. But studies show that once people are lifted out of poverty, their happiness is not dependent on income. More often reported levels of well-being are a combination of genetics, health, circumstances and coping skills.

Happiness results when our aspirations are being fulfilled and we are optimistic about the future, when we are developing our capabilities or helping others develop theirs. In short, we are happiest when happiness itself is not the goal.

Contemporary philosopher Robert Nozick writes that "We want experiences, fitting ones, of profound connection with others, of deep understanding of natural phenomena, of love, of being profoundly moved by music or tragedy, or doing something new and innovative, experiences very different from the bounce and rosiness of the happy moments."

Of all the prescriptions for happiness, perhaps the least helpful one is the now-fashionable idea that you can defeat the blues by "paying attention to yourself." Nothing could be further from the truth. The happiest individuals are invariably those whose ordinary, everyday mode of living is being busy and unconcerned with self.

That doesn't mean sacrificing your interests for someone else's. It only means asking not just "what would it take to make me happy?" but also "What limits should I set on this pursuit?" "How should I weigh my own happiness against that of others?" And "What else matters aside from happiness?"

Life is also about education, work, courage, honor, empathy, and resilience in the face of hardship. Real contentment comes from a feeling that your life is worthwhile, that it is dissolved into something meaningful and great. That leads to gratitude.

And gratitude, it turns out, is an indispensable part of happiness