What makes you happy all the time? What do you do when you feel like having a bad day?

Being at peace with myself, just knowing that I am doing , thinking how lucky I am for the incredible bounty I was born into…it’s not one thing, it’s an attitude.

Books. Books always make me happy when I’m having a bad day. And, while I do enjoy e-books, I love the print versions. There is something intensely satisfying about actually turning the page of a book. I like all genres of books; my favorites are sci-fi and adventure. I also turn to music to bolster my happiness. Josh Groban is a favorite. Most of the time, I have music playing in the background as I’m working. The most simplistic thing that I do when I need to feel happy is count my blessings; even when it seems like the world is crashing down, there is always something to be thankful for.

Knowing that today I’m closer to my goal than yesterday brings me happiness. The things that make me a better person than I was yesterday, the virtues that we share between us. Also the small things such as hearing someone snort when they laugh, seeing people do good deeds, when I nail a performance I was nervous about, when my pet chooses to sleep next to me at night, when I see old couples still in love, eating a watermelon on a hot summer day, licking the spoon after baking, summer evening walks, realizing I’ve finished all my work for the day and lot of others. Minimize your satisfaction of happiness, but never minimize your goals and attainments. We all strive for happiness but only few find it.

The life itself. Moments when you feel everything is connected. that you are a creator. You have choice what to be, how to feel, what to think and say. Being in nature where everything is in harmony and step by step create harmony within and around. Those little moments which are filled with faith, love, joy and success gives strength and encourage to move forward, to your goals. Everything and anything is possible.

What makes me most happy is what comes from within myself or simply being me without false pretenses. It is a byproduct of living my purpose; being a writer, loving my family, and helping those in need when fate brings them along. That is who I am naturally, and when I cede to those things I feel most happy and alive as a human being.

The big stuff that brings me happiness are things like taking slow but steady steps towards goals, dreams, and ambitions that I want to achieve and feel ever more confident and hopeful in achieving.

I have to be honest, though; sometimes happiness really is about the little things we do and we have. It doesn’t have to be big, but if they make you happy, on a small but regular basis, then that makes them no less valid as sources of happiness. For me, it’s silly little things like gelato in the sun or reading books inside while it’s raining outside, or afternoon naps, or writing a great to-do list or playing with my dog.

Happiness is a choice and a goal and anyway you choose to achieve it is valid and something you should striving to fill your life with.

Believe it or not, gratitude makes me happy.

Sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? Seems like it should work in exactly the opposite direction. First we get happy, then we can be grateful about it.

The more time during your day you can spend being grateful about the things and the people and the experiences and the luck you have in your life, the happier you’ll be. I promise. I also promise that if you try, really try, to think about all of the reasons you have to be grateful today, right now, you’ll find an astonishingly long list.

I remember my first condo. Tiny place, but it was all mine. And I’m not sure where I got the idea to do this, but I made a point — from the day I moved in — to walk into every room in the place, just to take a few seconds to reflect on the fact that I actually owned this room… and this one… that one too.

Like I said, tiny place, so walking into each room wasn’t exactly a major physical task. But it worked. Because I made feeling grateful for that condo a part of my daily routine, I was a lot happier about it than I suspect most people are about their homes — even if they’re a lot bigger than that condo was.

Find gratitude to find happiness. It works. In that order. I promise.

A genuine smile, a comforting hug, a kind word, the comforts of home, real and deep affection are all triggers for happiness, or at least for happy moments. But what truly brings me happiness is a contentment that comes from inside that I matter to those around me, that I’m contributing something to the world. I think for me, happiness comes both from within and from without; it’s a connection to other people, and a sense that all is OK, even in the midst of the uncertainty that surrounds us, that life is still hopeful and good and joyous.

Happiness may be more than anything an attitude or more accurately a mindset, a willingness to look for the good in life and to fully embrace and appreciate it when you find it.