Ten Keys to Happiness 

1. Accept what is: Stop arguing with reality! If you want happiness, let go of those things you have no control over. Letting go is a wonderful tool to use when you don’t know what else to do. To be happy, learn to detach when the going gets tough. Walk away. Breathe deeply. Know that all is well. Believe that a higher power is in control. Know that you will find your way. You can’t fight with what is. So, accept it and happiness will follow. Learn to say to yourself: “Let it go.” Another great simple statement to say to yourself is: “Just be happy!” Let that sink in. Say it throughout your day when things are getting serious. We can make our lives too serious and forget to just be happy.
2. Look after your temple: Your body is your temple. It has been given to you to take care of and use while you are on this earth. If you're striving for happiness, feed your body nourishing food. Do away with junk food and the highly processed stuff that depletes energy. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Try vegetarianism and see how revitalized you feel. Exercise at least 30 minutes everyday. Find something you enjoy. Walk until you do enjoy it. A habit only takes 21 days to become established. Develop some healthy habits. Take care of your teeth. Go to a dentist. If you have health problems, do something about them. Get plenty of rest. Quality sleep is essential for well-being (see article on getting a good night’s sleep). Take time everyday to relax. Read a book. Meditate. Do Yoga. Have a bath. Take some deep breaths.
3. Find your passion: You might be healthy, fit, and stress-free but if you don’t have a passion in life, it will feel like there is something missing. If you already know what you are passionate about, pursue it. If you are lost and stale, try listing your Values. I like the exercise where you ask yourself: “If money and time were not obstacles, what would you be doing?” Or another question that stimulates some ideas is “What do you hope to achieve before you die?” We need a sense of accomplishment in our lives in order to feel happy. We need something meaningful to focus on in order to give us a reason to get up in the mornings. Even if you are retired or out of work, try volunteering. Get out and about and involved in your community. Find something you can be passionate about and give it all you’ve got.
4. Surround yourself with people you love: Spend time with those who are precious to you. Make it a priority that you will do something positive to enhance your close relationships. Take your kids to the park. Play cards with your elderly loved one. Sit down at the table for a shared meal without the TV going in the background. Talk to each other. Express your love to each other. Nurture friendships by organizing get-togethers for coffee or lunch or go to the movies. If you don’t have any close friendships, make it a priority to develop some. Take a risk and invite someone you know for coffee.
5. Make your home into a special sanctuary: Your home is your special domain and it says a lot about you as a person. When you enter your home, it should reflect who you are. Surround yourself with the things you love….pictures, ornaments, momentos, books, music, plants, colors. Obviously, you may share your home with others. This will necessitate sharing the space and compromising with those you live with. If possible, have a room within the house that is your personal sanctuary (see article Creating a Personal Sanctuary ). Live in an area where you feel you belong and within a house that you feel comfortable in.
6. Learn to love yourself: If you have low self-esteem, you will have some negative beliefs about yourself that are robbing you of happiness. Sometimes we just don’t know how to love ourselves or what to do to create better self-esteem. See the many articles on this topic (Self-Love and Acceptance) for some great ideas.
7. Enjoy life! This may sound pretty basic, but sometimes we get so caught up in the stressful daily grind that we forget to throw in some fun. Plan an activity at least once a week where you are guaranteed to laugh. Go to a comedy, try roller-blading, get together with some fun friends, play a game of Scattergories or Pictionary. Think of some ideas and schedule them in to your weekly routine.
8. Be grateful: Be satisfied with where your life is at this moment. Rather than wanting what you don’t have, be grateful for the things that you do have. Start a gratitude diary where you write down each day one positive thing you feel grateful for (see article Gratitude, an Elixer For Unhappiness ).
9. Look forward, not back: Don’t waste precious time looking back. The past is gone, never to be repeated. Let it go. When we hang on to old wounds and old stories, we weaken our spirit. We remain stuck in the muck and mire of the past. Once something is finished, be done with it. Forgive yourself. Let go of guilt. Release the pain. Forgive others. Focus on now and your future. Make plans. Set goals (Tips for Setting Goals). Do all the things you want to do before you die. Life is short. Too short to spend time thinking and pondering on what has gone before. Have fun today. Create memories for tomorrow. 
10. Fulfill your spiritual needs: We are spiritual beings in physical bodies. Our soul needs nourishing just like our physical body needs nourishing. What do we need spiritually to fill that gap within? Spend some time on your own and get in touch with your inner self. Find that deep place within you where your soul resides. Sit in quiet meditation (see Meditation Techniques) Take several deep breaths (see Deep Breathing Exercises). Focus on the energy in your belly. See yourself as the perfect being that you are. See your spirit, your soul, your higher self. See God within. Say a prayer if that feels right for you. Whisper words of gratitude or remain silent in that holy place. Be still and know God is with you and within you. If you cannot accept anything spiritual right now, that’s okay too.