“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

One critical aspect of happiness is taking good care of our minds and bodies. We can’t be truly happy if we’re not respecting and nurturing our essential selves. We, among all the species on earth, have brilliant minds. How do we use them? What do we do with the overwhelming amount of information that we have? How do we use it well in our personal lives? How do we use it to teach and nurture our children? Are we using the media only for entertainment and not for information? There is so much entertainment! It’s important that we, and our children, don’t drown in it.

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” – Jim Rohn

We need to stay informed. We are among the most blessed people on earth to live in a democracy where we are not governed by ruthless dictators, where our lives and the lives of our children are not in constant danger. Do we contribute to our democracy? Are we civic citizens? Do we help to keep our schools, our communities, our government, and our leaders accountable? Do we pay attention to the issues of the day? Do we pay attention to our environment and the small, besieged planet we live on?

As humans, we “love, learn and leave a legacy”. What is your legacy? Are you focusing beyond yourself? Helping others or working for a cause is one of the actions that contribute to a satisfying life. Volunteering and giving back to the community is a huge way to make sure that you are thinking outside just your life and issues. Both of my companies, Best Day Ever and Bramble Berry, donate a portion of our profits and I donate my time serving on various non-profit boards to give back and also recognize that there is a greater purpose and calling in life than just my small world sphere.

Another action is the time-honored ritual of “gratitude.” Gratitude represents an attitude toward life in general. Over many centuries, gratitude has been recognized as a way to elevate the human spirit. Keep a gratitude journal and write down the things you are grateful for every day. Or, before you go to sleep at night, think of the things you are grateful for.

Brother David Steindl-Rast, founder of the non-profit agency www.gratefulness.org, says, “Gratefulness is the key to a happy life… because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have, we will not be happy – because we will always want to have something else or something more.”

Sarah Ban Breathnach, author of the wonderful book Simple Abundance tells us, “Your life will not blossom and flourish without gratitude. With gratitude, we discover we are much richer than we think…you simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life.”

Things you can do to increase your contentment and happiness quotient:

• Volunteer
• Turn off the TV
• Read a nonfiction book
• Take a class
• Learn another language

“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.” — Francesca Reigler