Sushant

1. Most fundamentally, recognize that happiness is a state of mind and not something which can be defined objectively. You can change your state of mind in many ways including the following suggestions.

2. More importantly than anything else, live with a partner whom you love and respect and who feels the same about you. Kiss and cuddle and compliment often and regularly buy unexpected little gifts.

3. When you're old enough and in a steady relationship, have a son or a daughter. Tell them often how much you love and admire him/her and do anything to help him/her.

4. Have a cat or a dog. Stroke often.

5. Keep in close touch with relatives and a small circle of friends. You can't beat their love and support.

6. Conversely, if there is a person in your life who is a negative influence and who is dragging you down in some way, don't be afraid to get remove such a person from your life.

7. Smile a lot. Smiles make you miles better - and you smiling will make others smile.

8. “Always wear a smile. The gift of life will then be yours to give.”

9. Laugh a lot.

10. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Honesty really is the best policy.

11. Be politely assertive. Say how you feel and explain what you want. Friends and colleagues can't be mind readers.

12. Give lots of compliments. You will make others feel good about themselves and find that this gives you pleasure too.

13. Give small gifts to your friends. To give is even more pleasurable than to receive.

14. For a special thrill, perform acts of kindness anonymously so that the person benefiting does not know that you're responsible.

15. When your birthday or Christmas is coming, prepare a list of the presents you'd like and give it to a partner, relative or friend to 'manage'. That way people won't struggle to choose a gift for you and you'll receive what you want and like.

16. Spend less than you earn.

17. Use your credit card as a convenient way to pay for your major expenditures on a monthly basis - not to obtain credit at an outrageous level of interest.

18. As Shakespeare put it in "Hamlet", "Neither a borrower nor a lender be". Don't borrow money unless you absolutely have to (for instance, to buy a house or car). Don't lend money - even to relatives - unless you genuinely don't mind if it's not repaid.

19. Don't gamble. There's enough uncertainty in your life without you adding more - and anyway, in the long run, you can't win. (A little flutter on the lottery is allowed.)

20. As M People put it in their pop song, "Look for the hero inside yourself". You are someone very special - so you should respect yourself. If you can't, why should anyone else?