"The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People"

There is a book sitting on my bookshelf with that title (written by David Niven, Ph.D. if you want to pick it up). As I sit at my computer every day, I see the spine, think about the book and then keep on working.

This afternoon, I took it off the shelf. Maybe because I am grouchy and ornery and feel like I am suffocating in my own life. Maybe because my best good friend of the time gave it to me and I felt like reading what she wrote in it. Maybe, because I feel like on the surface, everything is okay, but on the inside I'm a wreck? Hopefully, I'm not the only person who feels that way. I know my house feels that way, probably my carpets, car, and hot flowers in the front yard. If they could talk they would definitely curse me out for not being a very good house keeper, carpet vacuumer, car owner and gardener.

I really took this book of the shelf to read the list and evaluate my "happiness" here it goes:

1. your life has purpose and meaning (um, okay, I'll try to remember that)
   
2. use a strategy for happiness
   
3. you don't have to win every time (I'm good at this one. I know I don't have to win, and I'm not too competitive. Score one for me!)
   
4. your goals should be aligned with one another
5. choose your comparisons wisely
6. cultivate friendships (I try. Thank you book club girls for talking to me!)
   
7. turn off the TV (piece of cake! The TV is hardly ever on.)
   
8. accept yourself-unconditionally (let's pretend, for now, this one isn't on the list. A bit of a challenge at the moment)
   
9. remember where you came from
10. limit yourself to thinking about one subject as you lie down to sleep (I am definitely willing to work on this one.)
    
11. friendship beats money
12. have realistic expectations
13. be open to new ideas
14. share with others how important they are to you (not so good at this. Family, I love you all!)
    
15. if you're not sure, guess positively
16. believe in yourself (let's group this one with #8. I know I can cook dinner and take care of the baby, but other than that...let's not think about this for now)
    
17. don't believe in yourself too much (okay!)
    
18. don't face your problems alone
19. age is not to be feared (Great! I don't fear age at all. I think getting older is pretty cool, actually. Except my knees hurt.)
    
20. develop a household routine (I need help with this one. How does trying to do everything everyday count as a household routine)
    
21. don't be overprotective (but, I'm the mama bear!)
    
22. pay attention. you may have what you want (yeah, I pretty much do!)
    
23. don't let your religious beliefs fade
24. do what you say you are going to do (I do)
    
25. don't be aggressive with you friends and family
26. root for the home team (Go Utes! Go Wolverines!)
    
27. don't confuse stuff with success (I've pretty much got this one figured out. Thank you mom for teaching me this important lesson)
    
28. every relationship is different
29. don't think "what if"
30. volunteer (I need to do more of this)
    
31. if you can't reach your goals, your goals will hurt you
32. exercise (huh? Oh yeah, getting outside every once in a while probably isn't a bad idea!)
    
33. little things have big meanings
34. it's not what happened, it's how you think about what happened
35. develop some common interests with loved ones (I don't want to play fantasy baseball)
    
36. laugh
37. don't let your entire life hinge on one element
38. share of yourself
39. busy is better than bored (once again, thanks mom! The "B" word isn't part of my vocabulary and it won't be part of the little monkey's either)
    
40. satisfaction is relative
41. learn to use a computer (Score! I can do this pretty well)
    
42. try to think less about the people and things that bother you (easier said than done. I think that's where this whole blog post is coming from to begin with)
    
43. keep your family close
44. eat some fruit every day
45. enjoy what you have
46. think in concrete terms
47. be socially supportive
48. don't blame yourself
49. be a peacemaker
50. cherish animals
51. make your work a calling
52. never trade your morals for you goals
53. don't pretend to ignore things your loved ones do that bother you
54. get a good nights sleep
55. buy what you like
56. accomplish something every day (define "something")
    
57. be flexible
58. events are temporary
59. be your own fan
60. join a group
61. be positive
62. there will be an end, but you can be prepared
63. how we see the world is more important than how the world is
64. keep a pen and paper handy (I learned this from watching "blues clues" I always have my handy dandy notebook around!)
    
65. help the next person who needs some minor assistance
66. take care not to harshly criticize family and friends
67. some people like the big picture and others like the details
68. do things you are good at
69. go visit your neighbor (I talked to one of my neighbors just last night. She gave me some crystal light)
    
70. smile
71. don't accept televisions picture of the world
72. you always have a choice
73. be agreeable
74. don't ignore one part of your life
75. listen to music (every day, all day long. My world is on "shuffle")
    
76. let your goals guide you
77. use your job positively
78. don't forget to have fun
79. believe in ultimate justice
80. reminisce
81. be conscientious
82. don't dwell on un-winnable conflicts
83. enjoy the ordinary
84. focus not on the world's tragedies, but on the world's hope
85. get a hobby
86. envying other people's relationships is pointless
87. give yourself time to adapt to change (this might be at the root of all my issues. How much time does it take to adjust from being "career driven" to "the mama"?)
    
88. focus on what really matters to you
89. realize that complete satisfaction does not exist
90. surround yourself with pleasant aromas
91. don't let others set your goals
92. you are a person, not a stereotype
93. know what makes you happy and sad
94. keep reading
95. we must feel needed
96. say "so what"
97. have a purpose
98. you have not finished the best part of your life
99. money does not buy happiness
100. what does it all mean? you decide.

Maybe I'm not doing so bad after all.
How about the rest of you out there? How does this list work for you?