You wouldn’t bake a cake without a recipe. You wouldn’t go to a place you’ve never been without a map. And you shouldn’t try to build happiness without a plan either. Creating a good happiness plan is what takes you from where you are now to the happy life you envision.
- Clarify why you want a happy life.
- Clarify when you’ll build the skills that lead to a happy life.
- Decide which happiness skills to build.
- Decide in what order you will build the skills that lead to a happy life.
- Commit to your goal to create a happier life.
- Learn how you will build your happiness skills.

Remember when something you wanted to do seemed impossible? Maybe it was that first time you rode a bike, or drove a car, or asked someone out on a date. Then you did it and realized you had it in you all along. Creating a happy life is the same way — the first step is believing in yourself and your ability to live happily.