HOW TO BE HAPPY

HOW TO BE HAPPY: A Daily Practice for Tweens

Yes, I believe there is an art form to How To Be Happy.  It’s called watching What you think…How you think…and from Where you think.  As a children’s book author, I feel that it is my duty to teach children the joy of reading, but also how to be happy…now…and in the future.

When I sat down to write the award-winning children’s book, Saltwater Taffy, my number one goal was to teach kids how to live a life without Fear, Doubt and Worry.  Sure, my job is to entertain them, but I feel that our kids need to learn how to live the happiest life possible.

Now that I’m grow(ing) up, I believe the best way to live my life is to focus on what I love and NOT on what I don’t love.  The fact is, I don’t have time to focus on thoughts that defeat me.  I only have time to focus on thoughts that empower me, inspire me and help me become the man I am destined to become.  A man filled with love.

With that in mind, I have created this list How To Be Happy; A Daily Practice for Tweens.  Even though I continue to focus on my audience for Saltwater Taffy, these are great reminders for anyone in our pursuit of creating a fully realized life of love and happiness.

1. Put down the TV Remote or video game controller and practice the art of creativity and play.
2. Do your (home) work before it’s due.
3. Look for adventure whenever possible, especially when you are required to go somewhere you don’t really want to go.  By turning each moment into an adventure, the task at hand becomes palatable.
4. Refuse the art of gossip and our nations infatuation for celebrity.  If you are more interested in the life of someone else, you are ignoring your own amazing life.
5. Focus on being the best you that you can be.  Remember, what other people think of you is none of your business.
6. Put your attention on what you love and you’ll never be bored or alone again.
7. Wake up to the moment in front of you.  Living in the past or stuck fantasizing about the future is a waste of right NOW.  Get busy living each moment you have because it only happens in the RIGHT NOW.
8. Don’t fit in…stand out…stand tall and make a difference in the lives of others.
9. Live in a constant state of wonder and awe.  When you’re mind is focused on discovery, adventure and love, the debilitating thoughts of fear, doubt and worry have no law over you.
10. Practice the art of saying “I love you” every chance you get.  The more you practice this art, the better your life will get.  That’s not a promise, it’s a fact!