Sometimes we chase after certain things and think that they will make us happy. In my book "Be True, Be Happy: Simple Secrets for a Happy and Meaningful life", I present various simple secrets for happiness, and one such secret is that we already have a lot of "little things" in our lives that can make us happy -- if only we choose to see them. Unfortunately, we all too often forget this and take them instead for granted. But isn't it a good day if you have health, food and shelter?

What really is a miracle? If miracles were more common, would we still call them miracles? As I explain in “The Steps of Essence,” the words miracle and mirage are related and they imply feeling a sense of wonder. So ask yourself: what instills a real sense of wonderment in you? Is it something grand like Jesus walking on water? Or how about a woman with an injured spinal cord who was told by the doctors that she would never walk again, and yet does. Is that a miracle? What about our ability to feel love?

We all fail from time to time—-that is only human. The question is, how do you handle these failures?  In the worst case, a single failure can be so devastating that a whole life becomes woven around it. Then it is no longer "I failed at such and such" but "my whole life is a failure" or even "I am a failure!"  A related case if is somebody else has failed you and you cannot get over this. In either case, you may feel a deep disappointment or maybe even depression.  But it does not have to be like that – in fact, the whole notion of failure is incorrect. Let’s see why.

In The Steps of Essence I encourage people to dream big and to be great. In fact, I believe we all are great beings already--just by being born and being unique. But greatness is not enough; instead it is very much about how you are being great about your life: you can either brag about your greatness, or be humble about it. Each way will make a great difference to your own life and the lives of others.

Is the iPad going to make you happy? This certainly must be what all the die-hard fans believe who waited so faithfully in line overnight when the little gizmo was first released. But they may be deceiving themselves. We all do it to from time to time—we run out and buy a new thing, thinking it will make us happy. For some, this may be the iPad, for others the newest release of Windows, or maybe a new dress, a new car. And for some time, it does make us happy. Here is this new toy, a new sensation, which brings a level of excitement and freshness into our otherwise gray lives.

When you’re struggling with some emotional problem, like for example anxiety, depression, or momentary anger, what can you do to get past this? Modern psychology offers many ways to resolve such issues. Some of the most widely used techniques work on changing your thoughts; other more recent approaches stress acceptance and mindfulness. In this article we’ll look at some of these ways that can help you.

One of the great challenges for many people is to find out who they are, so that they can find their path through life. There are several psychological profile tests that claim to give a quick answer. One popular tool is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (or MBTI) which states there are four pairs of oposing personality preferences --Introvert/Extrovert, Sensing/iNtuition, Thinking/Feeling, and Judging/Perceiving—- that can be combined to form 16 basic personality types, such as ESTP, ISFJ, etc. By answering a series of questions, you then figure out “your personality type.”