IntroductionHappiness is the underlying foundation that influences the quality of life.Have you ever seen someone who lives in a small house and has an oldercar? They may not be rich in terms of material things, but they are beyondrich in their happiness. We all go through things in life that we wish we didnt have to. This canchange how we feel and our outlook. Yet you have a choice to either gothrough life miserable or to be happy. You are the only one in control ofthat. There may be plenty of variables in life you cant control, but yourhappiness should never be in the hands of someone else.One of the biggest barriers to true happiness is that we live in a society thattends to encourage us to redeem ourselves with material goods. Then wecompare what we have to what others around us have. If they have more,then we may feel that we are less than them. This can really influence thelevel of happiness that is experienced. Being too busy can also cause happiness to be pushed to the back burner.If you are always working and running errands than you have no time foryourself and to enjoy life. Slow down and focus on what really matters toyou. There is no reason to work non-stop or to take care of everything onyour own.5Communication is important for true happiness to occur. If you dont sharewith others what you want or what you wont tolerate, they arent going toknow. Never apologize for laying some ground rules in place forrelationships so that you can be happy. Before you can be truly happy, you have to think about what happinessmeans to you. What it means for you can be very different than what itmeans for the next person. Once you have that identified, you can work onimproving time management, communication, and change that will allowyou to really achieve it. Perceptions can hold you back from being happy somake sure you arent your own worst enemy. You may be saying that you cant do much about the miserable peoplearound you. While that is true to a point, you cant let their negativity bringyou down to their level either. You need to be happy with the person yousee in the mirror and that you think you are.It isnt possible to be happy all the time, but you can be most of the time.You can also use your happiness to help you get through the most difficulttimes in your life. As you read through the martials here, you may identifysome pitfalls that have been holding you back.You can also become empowered with ideas and concepts that you canimplement into your daily routine. By doing so, they will soon become ahabit and something that you automatically take part in every single day. 6Being in the drivers seat when it comes to your happiness is important.You cant just kick back and hope it is going to happen. The days turn intoweeks, months, and years! Do you want to spend them feeling like you donow or do you want to spend them livin