Are you happy? Would you like to be even happier? You can if you understand what brings true, long-lasting happiness. We all have the ability to create a happy life and we all deserve it.

I learned a lot about happiness from my clients. As a Marriage, Family Therapist for 27 years, I first discovered what happiness is not. Many of my clients of all ages had many things happening in their lives that anyone would think would make them happy. To my surprise, men and women who had beautiful homes, cars, successful careers or businesses, good health, wonderful children, and free time to travel and participate in sports, were still very unhappy.

When I guided them through a process called HART, which stands for Holistic And Rapid Transformation, they changed their negative thoughts to positive ones. Then the clients were able to realize the messages below, and believe that happiness was in their grasp. As they focused on what they could do to feel true happiness, their lives improved dramatically.

The following 24 guidelines can assist you to enjoy this wonderful feeling.

Happiness Is….

1. Experiencing my life as an exciting journey.

2. Courageously doing what I want to do even if I'm scared.

3. Realizing that I have everything inside of me to make me happy.

4. Knowing that I'm the only one who can decide what is right or wrong for me.

5. Thinking positive thoughts which are attracting to me what I want and need.

6. Forgiving myself and others for what I perceive to be not okay.

7. Accepting that I'm okay even when I blunder and learning from my mistakes.

8. Realizing that I'm only responsible for my thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

9. Understanding that what people say or do is a reflection of them and not of me.

10. Listening to my inner wisdom, my intuition.

11. Stimulating my mind and caring for my body.

12. Balancing my life between work and play.

13. Understanding that every precious moment is all that matters.

14. Being caring and loving and pursuing my interests and talents.

15. Learning from my past, setting goals for the future, and focusing on the present.

16. Allowing myself to feel all of my emotions and to express them in healthy ways.

17. Taking the time to smell the flowers.

18. Sharing my truth in a loving way.

19. Overcoming my fears and resolving all my problems with win-win solutions.

20. Accepting changes, and flowing with them.

21. Understanding that my true success of each day is how much I have expressed caring to myself and others.

22. Being grateful for all that I have and for all that I am.

23. Accepting that I am okay and I deserve to be healthy, happy, and successful.

24. Giving and receiving unconditionally.