2 keys to staying happy

Many people find happiness more elusive than it should be.

A happy moment is often a fleeting one for them because before long they are right back to thinking about the very things and people that dispirit them -- whether it's their job, ex boyfriend, or the laundry list of chores that awaits them when they get home.

But happiness doesn't have to evade us. In fact, in can be a lot easier to achieve -- and sustain --than we think.

Below are two ways to attain longer-lasting happiness.

1. Live in the present. Mother Teresa put it succintly: "Be happy in the moment -- that's enough. Each moment is all we need, not more." True happiness lies in the here and now, and we must guard against the temptation to escape mentally to the past or future when things in the present may not be going as smoothly as we like.

Rest assured that as long as you remain positive and refuse to give up on yourself, your fortunes will turn around. You've navigated through storms before, and you'll do it again.

Whether the past haunts you because of an unfortunate experience (e.g., a hurtful breakup) or -- on the flip side -- it brings you welcome respite because you feel that your best days may be behind you, you can't do a single thing to change what's already transpired. You can only reminisce about or learn from it.

Similarly, while planning for the future can be exciting, we shouldn't become so immersed in our future plans that we neglect to make the most of the time we have now -- whether by spending time with friends, traveling, or doing whatever else makes us happy.

2. Find joy in life's simple pleasures. Henry Ward Beecher once said, "The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things.

If your idea of being happy is buying the latest and greatest gadgets, you'll never find true contentment. If finding the 'perfect partner' is high on your priority list, you'll spend the rest of your life looking because no such person exists.

Happiness comes from taking pleasure in simple things and moments that can easily be taken for granted -- drinking a great cup of coffee on a cold winter morning, immersing yourself in a wonderful book, playing catch with your adorable nephew, enjoying a cool breeze while unwinding at the park or beach.

It doesn't have to involve anything flashy or expensive. Indeed, this is the stuff -- simple stuff, to be exact -- that happy times are made of.

Sure, a new car or Hawaiian vacation can fill anyone with glee at first, but we don't have to go to such lengths to feel happy. If anything, finding pleasure in basic things is far more sustainable.

In sum, if you think escaping the present or pulling out the pocketbook is the best way to give yourself a jolt of joy, you're going about it the wrong way. Instead, seize the day and strive to be mindful of the simple things around you that may bring you more happiness than you realize.

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