1) Be happy where you are now Right now!

Be thankful for what you have, instead of moaning about what you lack. Be satisfied with what you have when you are in pursuit of what you want.

2) Happiness, more than anything, is a choice we make every day Happiness is a conscious decision. You choose to be happy today or you choose to be miserable. Your action/reaction is determined by how you choose to perceive a situation. Andrew gave an amusing illustration of a couple surrounded by a pack of crocodiles. The man thought OMG Crocodiles! while his wife thought OMG Handbags! 3) Happiness is understanding the things we cant change yet and working on those we can Some things are hard to change overnight. Its unusual to change from a pauper into a millionaire in a day. Happiness is knowing that some things take more time. We can start by working on what we can change immediately.

4) Put a smile on your face. It changes how you think. I was teaching a friend to ice-skate last Friday evening and there was this beautiful girl I met while getting a drink. She smiled as we both walked towards the vending machine. I smiled back and allowed her to buy her drink first.
While on the ice-skating rink, we passed each other a couple of times. I was trying to keep my friend on his feet while she was falling happily on the ice with hers. Our eyes met again. She smiled and I smiled back. Then as she was making her way out of the rink, I smiled and waved goodbye. She smiled back. I could hear her friends asking Is that your friend? I didnt catch her reply but I remembered her turning towards me with another smile. I returned the smile with a wave to her bewildered friends. We didnt exchange a single word. We didnt need to. The smiles were enough to brighten up both our days.

5) Whatever you get, accept it and deal with it All too often, when something bad happens, we are too quick to point fingers and start placing blame on everyone else. Happiness is about accepting responsibility

and dealing with what comes your way. Blaming the whole world is not going to solve anything.

6) Problems = Catalyst to take Action Andrew advises to see problems as a catalyst for us to take action. Problems are good teachers, so learn to love them. Next time, when you face a problem at work/in business, remember to run up to your boss/partner and say, We have a huge opportunity! 7) Learn from the elephants! How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time.
What did the elephant say to the naked man? Answer: How do you breathe through that thing? 8) Put everything you have into whatever you are doing now Do your best (100%) and life will support you!

9) Its not what you get. Its what you become that matters Know what to expect Expect a better you. 10) No one else is going to make you happier. Work on yourself.

A lot of people get things mixed up. A wife thinks about all the bad things her husband does while a widow remembers all the good stuff. That is the ultimate recipe for misery! Isnt it better to switch the lists around? 1. Life isnt fair, but its still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Your job wont take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You dont have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. Its more healing than crying alone. 8. Its OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it wont screw up the present. 12. Its OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Dont compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldnt be in it. 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But dont worry; God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isnt useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesnt kill you really does make you stronger. 19. Its never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, dont take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Dont save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now. Dont wait for old age to wear purple.. 24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words In five years, will this matter? 27. Always choose life. 28. Forgive everyone everything. 29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 30.. Time heals almost everything. Give time time 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 32. Dont take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 33. Believe in miracles. 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or

didnt do. 35. Dont audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 36. Growing old beats the alternative dying young. 37. Your children get only one childhood. 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone elses, wed grab ours back. 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need 42. The best is yet to come. 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 44. Yield. 45. Life isnt tied with a bow, but its still a gift.

Quotes from Andrew Matthews Happiness in Hard Times.

If you are waiting for somebody to appreciate you before you appreciate yourself, then it is never going to happen. Some people are uncomfortable with the idea of loving themselves. Is it selfish to pursue happiness? Happy people make better friends, better lovers, and better employees. Hard times can mean no money, no friends, no job and no hope.

All you can do is give your best effort until bedtime. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Effective people ask WHAT questions. The happiest people dont bother about whether life is unfair. They just concentrate on what they have. Natures law is that the weak get bullied. Its not about your age, its about your attitude. In the real world, other people dont change our lives, we do it ourselves. Happy people welcome change. Theyre the guys who say, Why would I even want my next five years to be like my last five? With both physical and emotional pain, when we keep doing the same thing, it keeps hurting! Even the cutest guy looks pretty ugly when hes banging your head against the wall. When we are critical of others it really means that we dont like ourselves. Its no one elses responsibility to love you. It is your responsibility to love yourself. If you have nothing good to say about yourself keep your mouth shut! When we forgive ourselves, we stop criticizing other people. Most people are more embarrassed by money than sex. To make money and keep it, you must be comfortable with money! A loan is money you dont have. Be careful how you spend it. If unexpected money comes your way, you dont have to blow it all! Money is first made in your mind. If you cant see it in your mind, youll never see it in your wallet. Successful people tell themselves, If I make the most of this opportunity, Ill get a bigger one.

An attitude of gratitude ensures that our attention is on what we want. When you are happy, you get what you want.