From the time we begin our adult working life, we are inoculated with the belief that we should plan, save and direct substantial amounts of our energy toward being ready for retirement. Yet, we live a retired lifestyle for an average of sixteen years, and work for nearly 40. So where is the wisdom of focusing on the future, when it is so distant and such a small portion of our adult life?

When you're with your best friend, levels of stress hormones are reduced during stressful circumstances such as peer rejection, bullying or an argument. The security you feel with your best friend acts as a social buffer that stabilizes your feelings of self worth.

A good friend gave me a book last week, thinking I might like it. The book is "Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion" by Jesuit Priest Gregory Boyle about his work with gangs in Los Angeles, CA. Reading the first chapters in the early spring sun this morning at Beach Pea in Kittery, Maine, I feel calm and centered and blessed.

It constantly amazes me how much so many people take for granted in life; whether their health, career, someone's love or even the 60 odd beats of their heart every minute of every hour of every day. Have you ever really thought that in any given moment you are less than five minutes away from death? Not trying to be morbid here but the average number of deaths every night while people are sleeping is over 50,000. Could you be next?

Everybody wants to live a better life, but nobody wants to step up and make it happen for themselves. People make up thousands of excuses as to why they aren't living "the good life". Saying mean things like "I can't have a better life because I wasn't born into a rich family" or "I'm not good looking enough" or "Nothing ever goes my way". Unfortunately not everyone is just born into wealth and luck, but you can have both. Focus on what you want to happen and not what you don't want to happen because that's how to live a better life.

Whether you are rich or poor, there are three key elements in life to focus to be happy. Winning the lottery may not be one of them, but, these are far more important. If you desire happiness, you must think, plan and act to win a happy, positive and productive life.

Suffering is so ubiquitous. We all want to suffer less, or not at all, yet we are so unconscious of its roots and the way out. In this brief article you will have the opportunity to raise your level of understanding so that you are more likely to find you way out of suffering, or at least to less suffering. To your happiness.

On almost every measure of performance, happier people do better at work than those with a more negative mind-set. By understanding why this should be and what you can do about it, you are armed to develop your own happiness advantage at work.

After the holidays, many shoppers load up their carts with storage bins, shelving systems and color-coded containers, all in a determined campaign to get organized for the new year. For many, our demand for "stuff" has surpassed our ability to buy sufficient space to hold it all. Over time our stomping grounds, especially if they are smaller ones, have a tendency to accumulate and collect all kinds of treasures, gems and keepsakes, otherwise referred to as "junk".

Just reading the title of this article feels good! Simply because when we focus on positive everything feels better. Instead of facing the upcoming year by looking at more of what's wrong, or looking at all there is to-do, let's begin this New Year by looking at what makes a Happy New Year truly happy. Clearly, if we would like to experience happiness, we need to begin looking at things in a different way. Happiness is a decision. In order for us to have happiness we need to focus on having happiness in our life. Why not take a minute and welcome happiness into your life right in this moment?