Five Simple Steps to a Happier Life

1.   BE THANKFUL.
   Make a list of the ten things you are most thankful for in your life today. Post this list on your bathroom mirror. Start your day by putting in focus those things which you have to be thankful for.
    
2. PRACTICE BEING HAPPY.
   No one likes a grump! Becoming a happy person takes practice for some, but the rewards are endless. The single greatest choice you have is to choose to be a happier, less stressed person. Happy people get moved to first class, room upgrades, free pizza, flowers from their spouse, they live longer, they laugh harder and have fewer wrinkles.
    
3. BE KIND TO PEOPLE.
   It may sound strange, but I remember feeling happiness just a couple of weeks after September 11, 2001. Looking back I now realize it was because for about a month, strangers were kind to strangers. Life's pace slowed. Whiners stopped complaining. We waited patiently in lines. We let the OTHER person have the parking space WE were waiting for. We met our neighbors. We were nice to each other. Being kind when things are going your way is easy. Being kind when things aren't going your way is a true test of character.
    
4. GIVE COMPLIMENTS FREELY.
   The only thing that feels better than getting a compliment is, perhaps, giving one. A woman in her late 70's stood behind me in the grocery store the other day. I turned and noticed she had on a beautiful hat, matching shoes, pearls and perfectly styled hair. I smiled at her and said, "You look beautiful day." She grabbed my wrist and with tears in her eyes replied, "My husband died a year ago. He was the last person to say those words to me". Giving her a compliment made ME happy all week.
    
5. SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY.
   Learn to say "I'm sorry, I have to decline." There's nothing more important than your close friends and family. Commit to giving up one not-so-important activity currently eating your precious time and replace it with family or friend time. You'll never regret it. People often ask me why we don't produce more than 4 or 5 Turbo Kick Rounds per year. The answer is I've learned to put limits on my work so I can be with my family. At the end of your life you won't wish you had volunteered for more "projects' or worked more hours, you'll wish you had more time to spend with the people who matter.