Happiness Guarantee!

BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

You are about to read the first happiness guarantee ever made. If you follow what I am about to reveal to you, I guarantee your happiness. If you choose not to follow it, you can have your unhappiness back. This is the most direct method you will learn. It is simple, I promise you! It is simple, but it may not be easy. Since it is simple you will remember it and be able to practice it until it becomes a positive habit and it becomes natural for you.

First and foremost, you must make the decision that being happy is the most important thing for you to be and to do. Once you understand that your happiness really counts, you are ready for the next step. I want you to NOT CHOOSE TO BE UNHAPPY in every moment. Yes, that is the secret. Once you understand that being happy is important and necessary to your well being, you will be ready to take charge of your emotional and rational capacity as a fully functioning human being.

When you encounter a situation that is not going the way you would like it to go, learn to make a choice about what you are going to choose to do. But, do NOT CHOOSE TO BE UNHAPPY. Don't make that choice. Every time you become unhappy, you are choosing it. How does it feel to have a problem and also have to deal with your unhappiness on top of all that? It doesn't feel good, does it? No, it doesn't! It is time for you to stop terrorizing yourself. It is time for you to become your own best friend.

The reason that not choosing unhappiness works so well, is that as soon as a bad situation presents itself, you react to it and make unhappiness your choice. What you could be doing is choosing the best possible solution. In order to do this, it requires a balanced state of mind. If you did not choose unhappiness, you could maintain a state of well being that supports your most creative problem solving strategies.

When you are not happy, you are letting your thinking make the worst possible choice you can possibly construct. This may sound very extraordinary to you, but by not choosing unhappiness you are controlling your thinking. By thinking about what to do in an unfavorable situation, you will react with consistent negativity.

It has become extremely important to control our thinking. I am not just talking about negative or positive thinking, but all of our thinking. The problem with our thinking is that we have absolutely no control of it and therefore, our thinking has gained absolute control over us. Our thinking is making us unhappy. When we are unhappy, it is because we are choosing it.

The only way you are ever going to be happy is by not choosing unhappiness. Every time you are unhappy, you have engaged your thinking to take control of your emotions and your state of being. Once you connect to unhappiness, you have lost your inner peace. You are operating from your negative thinking, moods and feelings. In fact, when you are unhappy, you are giving your power away. Being unhappy is just another term for being powerless and feeling helpless. Why would you go though life allowing yourself to feel that way? Why would you allow yourself to experience the worst possible outcome?

I will tell you why you do it. You are not happy because you do not know how to not choose unhappiness. It has become a reaction, a conditioned reflex. You are not happy because being happy requires a great deal of consciousness and awareness. You choose unhappiness because you are not aware you are doing it. Everyone else does it so why not go along with the crowd, right? Well, it is not right. It is time for you to take your power back by not choosing unhappiness every time things don't go the way you wish they would.

Wake up and take your power back. Become aware of how you choose unhappiness in unpleasant situations. Being more aware of how you lose your power, you can gain control of your life. As Henry David Thoreau said, "Above all, we cannot afford to not live in the present." Rabbi Zelig Pliskin just wrote a great new book called Life Is Now! Rabbi Pliskin is the author of 24 books including the best book on happiness called: GATEWAY TO HAPPINESS.

Become more aware of how you react when you automatically and unconditionally choose unhappiness. I want you to make not choosing unhappiness a contract with yourself. You only have to think about the happiness decision. Once you have done that, you don't need to use your thinking anymore because that will lead you to choose unhappiness again.

Choose your unhappiness wisely, because it will cause much devastation in your life. Unhappiness is a choice, don't make it! You will learn to make less often, or at the very least, you will see why choosing it will keep you unhappy! My friend, you deserve to be happy! As John Milton wisely stated, "The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven."

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The website is www.HappinessClub.com.

Happiness Is The Way!

BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

You're driving down the highway or you're stuck in traffic. You're not happy; you're thinking about something that is really bothering you … and you don't know what to do about it. Maybe you just had a fight with someone. You have a problem, and you can't seem to find the solution. Things are not making you happy. The bumper to bumper traffic is not making you happy. People certainly are not making you happy. So how can you be happy? Can life make you happy? Can you change the situation enough so you can make yourself happy?

Will you ever "find" happiness? The answer is NO! You will never find IT, you have to become IT! There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way! Is it possible to be happy? The answer is YES! Here is another question for you. Is it possible to be happy all the time? I know you are probably thinking that is impossible. You're right, but that only goes for you. In life, you can be right or you can be happy. Which one have you been choosing? The good news is you only need to be happy.

I've been happy for over 18 years now, and things have been great; I'm not saying I don't have problems. Happy people have problems just like unhappy people. They are happy in spite of their problems, making for a better environment in which to deal with the problems. It is the way we deal with problems, that makes the real difference.

Everyone wants to be happy. Being Happy, not wanting to be happy, or pursuing happiness, is the goal. As Aristotle said: "Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence." Being Happy is my most important job. All you need is the desire to be happy. There is no other way to be happy than to understand how to do it or have someone show you how. Happiness is a learned response. Find someone who is happy and model that person, so you can learn how to be happy as well. It does not matter what your situation or circumstance is. What matters is your intention.

Happiness must be premeditated. You can't find it OUT THERE! You have to bring it with you. When you practice Premeditated Happiness, you go into every situation bringing your own happiness with you. You have your own reservoir to dip into. You don't have to look for it; you just need to practice being happy.

I gave a course on Happiness (Personal Power & Success through Happiness) at Sacred Heart University. Students who took my course received a "Bh.D." (Being Happy Daily Degree.) In 1999, the first year I gave the course, students at SHU, having finished the course on happiness, wanted to continue learning and practicing happiness. As a result, in January 2000, we started the first Happiness Club meeting. We have met once a month in Fairfield ever since then. We discuss with and listen to various speakers covering all aspects of happiness and how to be happy.

At one of our meetings, a whole bunch of people made the decision to be happy. It was a lot of fun. We placed a stair-stepper in front of the room and had everyone individually take the HAPPINESS STEP UP. People got up on the stepper and proclaimed they had made the happiness decision. It was that easy.

One woman who got on the stepper, later shared with me the fact that she was 88 years old. She felt she had not really been happy her entire life. Now at 88 she is choosing to be happy! She had made the decision to live happily for the rest of her life. Later when I spoke to her, she said the sad thing is that she had missed out on being happy her whole life up to that point.

I said to her, "You and I have the same amount of time left. The fact is neither one of us knows how much time we have. My time may be up before yours, but the important thing is being happy now. We all don't know how much time we have left, and life is short, isn't it? So why not be happy right now!" This is a great decision to make.

You can be happy by being happy right now. "Being" incorporates many things; it includes: thinking, feeling, doing and it all gets rolled up into that state of being. The Dalai Lama says that happiness is the most important thing in the world. Read his book, The Art of Happiness.

I have a sign in my office with these words: BE HAPPY ZONE. You know, it's one of those large yellow road signs with black lettering. It's the kind of sign you would see on the roadside attached to a post. If it were up to me, I would love to see road signs in Towns all over the world saying: "Be happy Zone" or "Smiling Strictly Enforced!"

Happiness allows you to use effort in a positive way and minimize struggle. Who said you needed your emotions to deal with a situation. Worry never changed anything for the better. Isn't it true that most of what we worry about doesn't happen. Even if the worst were to happen, worry leaves you in a terrible state. Worry has you completely and negatively affected by the situation and out of control.

Being happy is actually a smart choice. When you're happy, you're able to function much better. You feel better. You operate in a better space. Life seems to go smoother. When you're happy, you stop struggling. You put out the effort, but without the struggle because you are learning to control your negative emotions.

Don't drive yourself crazy. Lighten up! Let's work on becoming our own best friend, and do what's best for us. Be Happy - It's The Law!

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club, a Happiness Coach, and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The Web site is http://www.happinessclub.com.

MIND PROGRAMMING

Dear Friend,

We all know that minds create and most of us put a lot of energy into positive thinking. Why then are we living in such troubling times? Today I bring you information that is vital for living truly free lives, where we are in control and can once again create our ideal life.

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I am writing about my friend and colleague, Eldon Taylor and his brand new book, Mind Programming: From Persuasion and Brainwashing to Self-Help and Practical Metaphysics. This is simply a must-read book! This message is so important that many of the world's visionaries, myself included, have joined together to support this book launch.

View the trailer for Mind Programming
http://www.progressiveawarenesspromotions.com/innertalk/May09/index.htm

Eldon bares the facts, exposing the groups ranging from media types to governmental agencies that have spent billions of dollars learning how to surreptitiously gain access to your thoughts, your motivations and your choices. See for yourself in the 'smoking gun' of advertising manuals, in the secret clandestine work of governmental agencies, in the neuro-technology labs of the sellers of goods and services. You will be shocked and horrified at the extent a few have gone to shape every aspect of your thinking, and this programming goes on everyday!

Brainwashing and marketing are big business; and your precious mind is a coveted commodity. In this book Eldon Taylor exposes all and tells you how to take your power back and be free to become your own best self. Eldon is a grand master of the mind. Joan Borysenko, Ph.D. author of Your Soul's Compass

Mind Programming is really two books in one. The first half of the book is the tell-all story that uncovers the unseen influences that are so pervasive, penetrating and effective. The second half of the book is all about the tools and technologies you can use to cleanse your mind of the non-sense you may not have even recognized as being present before reading this liberating book. Think about it. How many original thoughts do you really have? How many thoughts are about your limitations, your fears, your anxieties, the things you want, and so forth. You will learn that from sickness and anxiety to the way you comb your hair and dress, and so much more, are all a part of what you have been trained to think and choose. You will also learn some very simple easy-to-use tools that can free your mind and empower your being.

Even if you already have some awareness of the everyday mind manipulation techniques, and are already guarding against these intrusions, there will be areas you simply have not heard of. Even if none of this information is of interest to you because you are already guarding the input into your minds, you will be thankful to finally have the facts, figures and hard evidence to present to your family and friends, so they too can escape from the everyday brainwashing. But Eldon does not leave it there as he also covers numerous tools and techniques to assist you in taking back the control of your mind. These tools range from exercises that will not cost you a penny, such as the '50-day plan,' automatic writing, and mind exercises, to high tech (but affordable) tools such as cortical electro-stimulation. Whatever your preference, Mind Programming will provide you with the information vital for today's climate.

PLUS: Mind Programming ships with a free, high-tech, mind-training CD, that utilizes the patented and proven InnerTalk technology. I know this can make a powerful difference in your life. That is why I have joined with many visionaries in offering special bonus incentives when you get your copy today. When you purchase your copy of Mind Programming, you will:
1) Have a chance to win 2 tickets to a Hay House conference. Everyone who orders Mind Programming between May 19th and June 17th can enter to win a trip to the I CAN DO IT Conference in Tampa, Florida where Eldon will be appearing in November. (Trip includes 2 full conference tickets, hotel accommodations, and round-trip domestic coach airfare).
2) Be entered to win Eldon's finest success library, Your Personal Best, featuring 28 programs on 20 CDs; all using the patented and proven InnerTalk technology. This is a $599 value.
3) Attend a free pre-screening of Jeff Warrick's mind-blowing documentary, Programming The Nation.
4) Gain free membership to Eldon's Mind Matters community, where you will find numerous gifts valued at over $5000. These gifts are all yours for acting today and getting your copy of Mind Programming. Pick up all your gifts today, or come back once you have read Mind Programming - the choice is yours. Take your time and enjoy exploring the best tools available. Try them for free and decide for yourself what works best for you! These gifts come to you from almost 300 supporters including Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Marci Shimoff, Joan Borysenko, Judith Orloff, and Bruce Lipton.

PLUS: For every book sold during this event, Eldon will be donating all of his author proceeds to Women for Women International, an award-winning non-profit organization. Women for Women provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies. So don't hesitate, act now and get your copy today. It's only your mind if you manage what goes into it, otherwise it is analogous to a computer that the world has read and write access to. Eldon Taylor, author of Choices and Illusions and Mind Programming.

Sincerely,

Lionel Ketchian

HAPPY YET?

April 8, 2009
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

Eight years ago I decided to try to hand feed some birds in my backyard. I put some crushed walnuts in my right hand and extended it. It was winter and the weather was cold, but I stood absolutely motionless, and completely quiet. Within a few minutes, a bird landed on my hand for the first time in my life. It was a cute tiny bird called a Black Capped Chickadee.

It flew onto the tip of my fingers, picked up a piece of walnut and flew off to enjoy it. Soon it returned to land on my hand again. This time it picked up a piece of walnut and dropped it on the ground. Then it picked up another and dropped that on the ground as well. Finally it selected a third piece, which must have been just the right one, and flew off with it. It trusted me enough to take its time and make sure it had a nice delicious piece.

It was not long after this event that I realized I had read the following quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne. "Happiness is a butterfly, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." Now I can say, "Happiness is a Black Capped Chickadee, a cute tiny bird, which, when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you."

For me, an interchange with nature is an unforgettable occasion and is nothing less than a spiritual experience. This event made me realize that happiness requires us to quiet down and allow things to come to us. The more we pursue things that are beyond our grasp, the more they move away. The faster we try to pursue them, the faster they move away. Happiness requires us to relax, become quiet, and act as if we will get what we expect, without the need to become upset if we don't.

The greatest things in life require patience, mindfulness, and knowledge of what is possible; being happy is a similar thing. I never thought I would be able to feed a wild bird and I thought the odds were against me. You may not think you can do something like become happy, but if you learn enough about happiness, you can do it. The important thing is knowing it can be done. It has been done before. Remember the four-minute mile. People did not believe it was possible to run a mile in less than four minutes. As soon as one person did it, the record began to be broken over and over again. What one person can do, another can do also.

Have you wondered: Is it possible to be happy all the time? Yes, it is! How is it possible to be happy all the time? Being happy all the time does not mean bad things don't happen to you. It just means you are able to handle them and not let them make you helpless and hopeless.

You may ask: How can I be happy? You can be happy by making happiness a decision, and by choosing happiness all the time. You can be happy by not allowing a situation, or a person to make you unhappy. Don't give up your happiness, because happiness is what you want more than anything else.

You may wonder: Why is happiness important? When things make you unhappy, you lose your power. In fact, you give your power away to the things that make you unhappy. The truth is, when you allow someone to make you unhappy, you have given your power to that person. Happiness is an issue of power. It's time to take your power back!

If your question is: What if something bad happens? This is the time that you need happiness the most, during times of hardship and stress. Happiness should be your strategy for dealing with negative things. When bad things happen, you need all the balance, wisdom and endurance you can find. Happiness allows you to gain access to your emotional intelligence. It is in times of difficulty, that you need to control your thinking, so you don't allow stinking thinking. You become unhappy as a result of your thinking, not because of what has happened to you. Your reaction, as a result of your thinking is what makes you unhappy, not the event itself. Happiness is your connection to yourself.

If your concern is: How can I make happiness work for me? The decision to be happy allows you to find out when you are off track. As soon as you realize you are unhappy, you are in control of changing your thoughts to allow you to choose happiness and get yourself back on the right track. You can practice being happy even when you feel unhappy. Pretend to be happy and you will start to make yourself feel happy. Act as if you are happy and you will become happy. Once you are operating with happiness, you begin to gain access to your best thoughts, change your negative ones, and your whole state of mind becomes peaceful. You begin to be flooded with good choices, alternatives, and options. You will begin to have ideas to serve you in the best way to find solutions to the problems you face.

What if there is no solution to my problem? If there is truly no solution, you have no problem. You have something that you do not like and cannot change. In this case, you are the problem. You will therefore remain unhappy unless, and until you change your attitude. Learn to accept what you cannot change, and move forward.

Do I have to live with what I don't like? If you can change it -- change it! If you can't change it, then learn to love it, or it will make you unhappy. Once you change your attitude about the thing you can't change and don't like, the situation can change. What you resist -- persists. When you stop fighting what you can't do anything about, the problem usually vanishes. Remember the "Serenity Prayer" and let happiness show you the wisdom to know the difference between what you can and cannot change.

Finally, you ask: When can I be happy? Be Happy Now! Stretch out your arm and as you open your hand, you realize that happiness is right there in the palm of your hand. It has always been within you. It's time! Go and Be Happy!

The "Happiness Compass"

March 25, 2009
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

Have you ever felt unhappy? Did you feel helpless? Unhappiness makes you feel hopeless with no point to life. When you have been unhappy you felt like you were lost, right? When you are feeling unhappy you need to use happiness to regain your sense of direction. Like a compass, happiness points you in a positive direction.

From now on, when you feel lost and unhappy, use happiness as your compass to give you the right bearing in life. When you are lost in the woods, the most important thing you can do for your survival is to remember your objective in that situation, which is to find your way back. The essential things are travel, shelter and food. In order to travel in the right direction you need to get your bearings. Remaining cool and calm is the most important thing you can do; otherwise you will travel around in circles.

Happiness allows a calmer state of mind to prevail. To find your happiness bearings; use your "Happiness Compass." Unhappiness can be a negative detour in your life. Use the "Happiness Compass" and allow it to position you on the right road. If your objective in life is to do the best for yourself, than the "Happiness Compass" point to the spot.

During these times of uncertainly, the territory looks unfamiliar to us. Change is not a good reason to allow your mind to be filled with fear. It is said that change is the only condition you can count on. The amount of work in being unhappy is the same as being happy, it's all up to you.

Circumstances out of our control happen all the time. There is a hard way to deal with change and an easy way. Why make it harder on yourself? Take the happiness route to higher ground. Once you feel better you are in a mentally superior place to realize the choices that are available.

There is a great deal of talk about a happiness set point. One of the key books about this theory is Happiness, What Studies on Twins Show Us About Nature, Nurture, and the Happiness Set Point, by Dr. David Lykken. This book was published in 1999 and was a comprehensive work on the study of happiness for both fraternal and identical twins that were separated at birth.

Here is a quote from Dr. Lukken's book on page 60. "If your happiness set point is below average, that means that your genetic steersman is guiding you into situations that detract from your well-being and is tempting you to behave in ways that are counterproductive. If you let your genetic steersman have his way, then you will end up where he wants to go. But it is your life and, within wide limits, you can choose your own destinations instead of having them all chosen for you."

Let's redefine the Happiness Set Point as the point on our "Happiness Compass" that we decide to follow. This insures that you will always know what the right direction is when you are not happy. Being unhappy can be dangerous to you health and wellbeing, so you need a strategy to get yourself away from unhappiness and toward your objective in life which is really happiness.

Rather than look at the happiness set point as a degree on a thermostat that you can't go past. Look at the happiness set point as a degree on a "Happiness Compass," that shows you that way you want to travel. As Roy M. Goodman said: "Remember that happiness is a way of travel - not a destination." Bring your "Happiness Compass" with you as you travel so you know where to look to find happiness the next time you lose your way.

The next time you find yourself in an unhappy circumstances, pull out your "Happiness Compass" and select your journey to joy. The whole point of the "Happiness Compass" is to use it and allow it to show you the way. In fact if you use it, you will become a joy magnet. You will be traveling in the right direction and your happiness will serve to attract the best toward you. The "Happiness Compass" shows you the way. Happy trails to you!

10 Survival Tips for the Economic Crisis!

March 11, 2009
BE HAPPY ZONE
By Lionel Ketchian

It seems that everyone agrees that we are in an economic crisis. If you have lost your job or work is slow, then this is certainly true in your experience. The question is, what can we do about it? The first thing to do, is not to think about it to the point of driving yourself crazy with negative thinking. Fear is not going to be your friend.

You can be your own best friend, if you calm down and stop stressing yourself out all the time. Worry has never changed anything for the better. Most of what we worry about doesn't happen. Even if the worst were to happen, worry leaves you in a terrible state, because you are now completely negatively affected by the situation. Don't drive yourself crazy. Lighten up. Be your own best friend, and use your thinking to do what's best for you.

Here are 10 Survival Tips to deal with the economic crisis.

1. Accept the situation for now. The best way to live with something you can't change is to learn to accept it. In fact, if you love what you do have, then you have changed your mental attitude to one of acceptance, rather than resistance to what life has presented to you. Deal with change. When you don't accept something that has already happened, you create resistance to it. The resistance you are creating will cause you to suffer. The change has already happened and if there is nothing you can do about it, and you continue to resist it, you will make yourself unhappy.

2. Watch Your Thinking. Our unhappiness is a result of our own thinking. Don't think about what you don't want or what you don't like. Control your negativity or your thinking is going to make you unhappy. Think about your choices or what you want. Be aware of your thoughts as they drift in and don't let negative ones find a place to land in your mind. Don't give them a home; let them drift right back out again. This may be a good time to learn to mediate, so you can take your mind off all the negative things.

3. Think About Your Choices. What choices do you have available to you now? Thinking about the problem is not progressive thinking, it is obsessive negativity. Stop dwelling on your problems and start focusing on your solutions. Thinking is when you are creatively finding solutions and choices to eliminate your problem.

4. Now is your point of power. Don't dwell in the past or worry about the future. If you're not focused on now, your awareness will be diminished. Accidents, mishaps and even crime are more likely to happen to you.

5. Be happy with less. If you must, then you can actually find the reasons that less will be better for you. It may be a chance to eat out less often and eat at home with your family more often. You may find that you can be happier by eating less and enjoying it more. Losing weight will certainly make you happy.

6. Learn to handle the truth. If you can't face the truth then you are going to be unhappy. To find the truth, you have to face what is happening, and be ready to deal with it. You will then be able to decide how to move forward from there.

7. Don't think things can't change. If things are bad for you and seem to have gotten worse for now, don't make the mistake of thinking they will always be bad for you. This is exactly the kind of thinking that will hold you to being a victim. If you keep thinking negatively in a crisis, you will lose your power and effectiveness in finding solutions to your problems.

8. Perform an act of charity. Do something for someone else. If you are feeling down and have time on your hands, You could volunteer your time, or do something as simple as paying someone a compliment. Give someone a smile, or bring someone a plant. Thinking of others cost nothing and can be a big turning point in your life.

9. Be Grateful. Be thankful about something all the time. What are you grateful for now? Every day, think of at least three things that you are grateful for and write them down in a "Gratitude Journal." Want some gratitude hints? Make your list simple things. For instance, be grateful you can see the paper you are writing on. Be grateful you can pick up a pen and have fingers and a hand to write with. You're alive, you can breath, you have food and shelter. Keep looking for the simple things as positive reinforcement.

10. Take time to learn about the benefits of being happy. Benefits include: living ten years longer, reducing anger, having less stress and confusion. You will have better focus, improved patience and self control. You can access greater intelligence, utilize wisdom, experience emotional competence, create inner peace, enhance relationships, and enjoy your life much more while also enriching others with your happiness.

The good that could come from this crisis is that we can learn to use happiness to make a positive difference in your life and in the lives of others. If we use our time to concentrate and improve on the really important things in life, while showing gratitude for family and friends, then we will have done our best with this crisis situation. Don't let any situation define you, allow it to refine you, and find out what you are really made of.

Little Is Needed For Your Happiness!

BE HAPPY ZONE
February 25, 2009
By Lionel Ketchian

Jerry Eyster, the Westport Happiness Club facilitator at the United Methodist Church of Westport sent this interesting note. I believe your philosophy of life is very similar to that of Marcus Aurelius. Here are two quotations from Book Five of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.

19. Outward things can touch the soul not a whit; they know no way into it, they have no power to sway or move it. By itself it sways and moves itself; it has its own self-approved standards of judgement, and to them it refers every experience.

And 34. Press on steadily, keep to the straight road in your thinking and doing, and your days will ever flow on smoothly. The soul of man, like the souls of all rational creatures, has two things in common with the soul of God: it can never be thwarted from without, and its good consists in righteousness of character and action, and in confining every thing thereto.

Jerry is quite right about the way I think, regarding happiness and Marcus Aurelius. Once you experience the power of happiness within yourself, you realize outward things cannot affect your happiness. The reason for this is simple. Let us say, for example, that something bad happens. The moment you realize it, you probably react with unhappiness, because you believe that is the only way to handle it.

When I experience something bad, I realize it is an outside cause. If I reacted to this cause without thinking, then of course, I would be unhappy as well. React to an outside cause without thinking, and you make yourself a hostage to that outside causation. If you keep reacting to problems, you will never be free from those problems. I don't react to outside causes., I examine what I want to do about the situation. I make a choice or select an option, I do not react to the situation. I cause what I want to happen and thereby influence the course of events that will happen next.

Marcus Aurelius said: "Very little is needed to be happy, it's all in your way of thinking."

The best thing you can do about a problem or something bad, is not react to it, but decide what you choose to do about it. If you decide what events you will choose, and respond to the problem with the correct option, you will not only solve the problem, but you will free yourself from the problem. Why not cause what you want. We live in an illimitable field of potentiality, but only those who are happy can choose the outcomes they desire. This is because only happy people are aware they have a choice that can give birth to the solution for their problem. Unhappy people are aware of only two things; they have a problem and they are unhappy about having a problem. When you are happy, you have unlimited, responses, choices and options because you are aware.

Marcus Aurelius said: "No man is happy who does not think himself so."

It is no wonder that Marcus Aurelius, who lived from 121 - 180 AD and became the Emperor of Rome in 161 till his death in 180 AD, found happiness. He learned it from his teacher, named Epictetus, a Greek Stoic philosopher who lived from 55 - 135 AD spending most of his life in Rome. Epictetus was a slave who became crippled, but eventually gained his freedom. Epictetus credits Socrates for his thinking. Epictetus showed us the way to happiness, fulfillment, and tranquility by spending his own life on that path. Epictetus main work was called: The Discourses. His most profound truth was: "We are disturbed not by events, but by the views which we take of them."

Other great thoughts of Epictetus: "Know what you can control and what you can't. Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can't control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness becomes possible."

There are simple, profound truths contained in Epictetus quotes. "We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them." And this: "Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions. Vigilantly practice indifference to external conditions. Your happiness can only be found within." Now there is a profound truth for you, spoken 2,000 years ago, and it is still true today!

Here are some more: "Events themselves are impersonal and indifferent. When considering the future, remember that all situations unfold as they do regardless of how we feel about them. Our hopes and fears sway us, not events themselves." And this one: "Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest."

Epictetus has made his way into today's modern psychology because psychologist Albert Ellis, Ph.D. the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, credits Epictetus with providing a foundation for his system of psychotherapy. Dr. Albert Ellis has written over 75 other books. His book How to Make Yourself Happy and Remarkably Less Disturbable is on my top 20 happiness books. Dr. Ellis shows you how to overcome destructive beliefs, feelings and behaviors. Dr. Ellis died in 2007 at age 93 while still practicing psychology.