When you understand what makes you happy, you will be happier more often.

Life is short. The benefits of happiness are great. It pays to know what really makes you happy and what does not. As Dr. Daniel Gilbert points out in his book, Stumbling on Happiness, most of us do not really know what makes us happy. For example, we think things like money make us happy and loss of a limb makes us unhappy, but long term studies have shown that neither of these assumptions are true.

So it behooves us to take the time to figure out what makes us happy and to measure our happiness periodically to make sure we are on the right track. Think back to the times you could not stop smiling, or look at old photos of yourself smiling. What were you doing? Who were you with? When you think of things you often do, which ones make you smile? You might even invest in a mood ring, bio-dots, or small biofeedback device to help you identify the thoughts that give you a positive, physical reaction. Because once you know what makes you personally happy, you know how to recharge your batteries when life gets you down and how to stay charged when things are going well. After all, -

When you understand what makes you happy, you will be happier more often.