To Be Happy!

1 - Do not flee from life — that is, from the world of work, love, and trust.

2 - Follow the laws of nature in the care of your body — that is, fresh air, sunshine, food, and exercise.

3 - Cleanse your mind once every year of the poisons of hatred, fear, and rancor.

4 - Define your desires in life, and the price you will pay to fulfill them.

5 - Follow a cheerful philosophy — that is, do not cling to the trifles that affect your relations with people.

6 - Ease your worries by talking them over with a friend in whom you place your trust.

7 - Keep away from the companions of pessimism, for its contagion passes to you through their constant suggestion.

8 - Have a hobby, for fine hobbies are among the means of insuring happiness.

9 - Look for new faces among friends, and work to love people and to have them love you.

10 - Remember that real life begins in the year that you yourself choose — not only at the age of forty.

11 - Make the most, to the furthest possible extent, of the daily means of recreation — that is, of work, play, and love; forget the worries of yesterday, and center your thought and your attention on the happiness of the day you are living in.

12 - Let people share in your happiness, for in the measure that you distribute it to others will be your portion of theirs.