IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Feature Article - Happiness Is......
Words to Inspire
Guest Column - The 10 Things in Life You Control
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WELCOME

Greetings and welcome to all of you. We are delighted to send you another issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS. Thank you for joining us.

The feature article examines "happiness". We look at what it is and do you have it. There's more than enough happiness to go around for everyone. We just need to know where to find it. Happy reading!

Our commitment is to give you practical information and inspirational ideas to benefit your business and personal life. We are committed to "bringing out your best"! We welcome feedback so we can improve and offer real value to you.

Keys to Success is written and published by Carol Gegner. Are you ready to excel? Check out http://www.coachexecs.com. We are ready to help you.

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Happiness Is......

Abraham Lincoln once said that people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts cartoon, reminds us happiness is a warm puppy. That brings up two questions. First, how happy are you? And secondly, what makes you happy?

Ideas and theories about happiness have been gaining momentum and popularity as researchers try to answer those two questions. In fact, Time magazine dedicated an issue in January to The Science of Happiness. The articles ran the gamut from what makes our heart sing to where we live in the world and its effect on happiness.

Happiness is defined as "subjective well-being" in psychology. It refers to how we subjectively evaluate our lives. Ever notice how one person with very little seems to be quite happy while another person with lots of possessions and advantages finds happiness elusive? One reason is that we each have been genetically coded with a happiness "set point." Thank goodness that set point is not permanent. Those happiness genes are not fixed and we have the ability to influence that set point.

So how happy are you? Edward Denier, a psychologist from the University of Illinois, developed a Life Satisfaction Scale that consists of the following five statements.
1. In most ways my life is close to my ideal.
2. The conditions of my life are excellent.
3. I am satisfied with my life.
4. So far I have gotten the important things I want in life.
5. If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.

Now rate yourself for each statement using a scale from 1 to 7 with 1 being not at all true, 2 through 6 being moderately true and 7 as absolutely true. So how did you do? The higher your score the happier you are!

How do you define happiness? Is it as simple as a warm puppy, a walk in the park, or a double dip ice cream cone? Or do you need a big house, fancy car and lots of clothes? It has been shown that long lasting, deep happiness is an "inside" job. It isn't about what you have. It's more about who you are and what you do with whatever comes your way.

To increase your happiness set point research suggests you can count your blessings every day, spend time connecting with family and friends, nurture your mind/body/soul, practice intentional acts of kindness to help others and when coping with hardships remember the adage "this too shall pass."

The Dalai Lama writes that the purpose of life is happiness and that happiness is determined more by our state of mind than external conditions. He tells us we can train our hearts and minds to be more positive and optimistic and that we really do hold the key to happiness in our own hands.

Good ol' Charlie Brown and his friends found happiness in the face of life's challenges. Losing a baseball game, getting all tangled up flying a kite or finding a twig for a Christmas tree didn't deter them. They figured out how to make lemonade when life handed them a lemon. They must have been reading the Dalai Lama!

Whoever thought a cartoon could be a model for how to be happy. The "Peanuts" gang teaches us valuable lessons about life's happiness. Happiness is whatever you want it to be!
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WORDS TO INSPIRE

"Find your happiness in yourself."
Albert Camus

"He who enjoys doing and enjoys what he has done is happy."
Goethe

"All we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."
Charles Kingsley
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GUEST ARTICLE - The 10 Things In Life You Control - By Jim Allen

There are just a few aspects of life that we can truly control, and it's useful to know just what those areas are. If you don't know, you'll spend a lot of time blaming others for your own failings. Try and exert too much control in areas you shouldn't and the universe will create some interesting ways to remind of your place.

So be prepared an learn the 10 things in life that you DO control:

1. What you do.

Your actions are yours alone. You choose to make them or not make them and you are responsible for the effects of those actions.

2. What you say.

Likewise, the words you speak (or write) are also consciously chosen. Like actions, they have an impact on your life and the lives of those you contact.

3. What you think.

Yes, there are some subconscious thoughts that you can't control. But the things that you really think about, your beliefs, your ideals, etc. are concepts you have chosen to accept and believe in.

4. Your work.

Many people like to overlook this one, it being much easier to say "Oh, I'm trapped in my job because I don't have a degree, experience, etc." Hogwash! That's simple a way of denying one's responsibility in having chosen the job in the first place. It's your job and you chose it. If you stay (or go), that's a choice as well.

5. The people you associate with.

There's a famous t-shirt that states: "It's hard to soar like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys." Colloquial is very often correct! Your friends can either lift you up or bring you down. You make the decision which type of friends you wish to have.

6. Your basic physical health.

Much about our health is a factor of genetics, environment, and exposure. Much more of our health is simply a matter of the things we choose: diet, exercise, drugs, sleep, routine physicals, check-ups, etc.

7. The environment you live in.

Your house, the condition of your home, the town you live in, the
amenities available to you are all things you can control, although some to a lesser degree (i.e., you decide to tolerate them or move someplace else).

8. Your fiscal situation.

Having or not having enough money is a factor of what you make versus what you spend.

9. Your time.

You choose how to "spend" your time and how much of your time to give to various activities. You'll never get more time than the 24 hours your given each day.

10. Your legacy.

All your actions, words, and knowledge that you share while you are living become the gift that you leave when you are gone.