I recieved this from an associate:

The other day the TV blathered in the background as I went through my
morning routine. The regular assortment of talking heads was droning on,
until a snippet of sentence grabbed my attention and caused me to instantly
catch my breath and stop what I was doing. The guest, Dennis Prager, simply
said: "It is our duty to be happy." ( www.dennisprager.com)

After all of the talk about recession, vengeance, vigilance and war, that
combination of the words "duty" and "happy" sent my thoughts reeling...

Of course! Happiness IS our duty. Happy people create a happy society. A
happy society does not wage war, it seeks peace. A happy society does not
punish, it lends a helping hand. A happy society does not disgrace the old,
sick or unfortunate, it extends a warm, supportive embrace. A happy society
does not whine about lack, it celebrates its generosity.

Daily newscasts broadcast the results of unhappy people. Whole news networks
are dedicated to broadcasting the "daily unhappiness" of the latest attacks,
revenge and suffering. It is fashionable to be unhappy and vengeful ("How
dare you be happy when so many people have died!") Even President Bush
declares 2002 to be a "war year" (oh happy days!).

The problem with this is that it reinforces our beliefs as a society that
"life is hard". We don't have enough role models for happiness... and boy do
we need them more than ever!

All the security checks and surveillance technologies in the world cannot
make us feel more happy. No "homeland security" can give us happiness. To
create the secure, happy future we really want, we need to up our "Happiness
Quotient".

Happiness comes from living a life on purpose. All too often, people live
life by default, instead of by design. There is no master plan, no general
direction, so they wander around aimlessly, making decisions on the spot,
with only a weak framework to guide their choices. No result is
satisfactory, because they don't really know what outcome they wanted in the
first place. So when they don't get what they want, they naturally blame
others (the government, high taxes, Osama bin Laden).

Happiness is simple. Happiness is inexpensive. Happiness is contagious.
Happiness originates from a sense of confidence in self. Which, in turn
comes from living a regret-free life.

Every decision you make is a personal choice between happiness and regret.
Happiness comes from creating results around you that reinforce your sense
of who you really are.

How do you live regret-free? By becoming more conscious about what's
important to you. By knowing what you want. And by creating results in your
life that are in alignment with what you want.

The best way to start increasing your "Happiness Quotient" is by taking care
of yourself, first. In the process of making sure your own cup is full, you
can then give to others.

Being "self-full" (instead of "selfish") is a wonderful feeling. Self-full
acts are totally under your own control, so no-one can get in the way of
your success. That's why happiness is a personal duty.

I have seen the impact with my own eyes: a woman participant in a recent
course, juggling responsibilities of being wife and mother, taking care of
everyone else and having no time for herself, leaving her tired and unhappy.
By the simple act of carving out a time in her day to be self-full, she
greatly increased her own happiness, which more than compensated for the
reduced time she spent with her family. Her happiness was contagious, and
gave her children and marriage a new source of strength.

Start today with a simple baby step towards self-fullness: what can you do
today, for five to ten minutes, to take care of yourself first? Is it taking
a walk in the afternoon sun? Closing the office door for a few minutes of
snooze while listening to beautiful music? Treating yourself to flowers?

Self-fullness is a product of strong boundaries, high standards and clear
priorities. Self-fullness leads to a regret-free life, which increases your
Happiness Quotient.

And to create the peace our world desperately needs, your first duty is to
Be Happy.

What will you do today to fill your cup?

For more ideas on how to life a self-full life, check out the
High-Performance Living Checklist at
http://www.davender.com/articles/hpliving.htm