Happiness is an important part of life-no less than anger, sadness, and fear. It begins with life itself: What mother doesn't recognize the look of happiness on the face of her newborn? Human beings are wired with an innate, neurological potential for happiness, but whether this potential eventually becomes a reality depends on how we choose to live our lives. In other words, happiness isn't an accident, and it isn't a gift from the gods-it's the gift you give yourself! Unlike Shangri-La, a mythical paradise on Earth, happiness is not confined to a particular place, nor is it the result of any one specific activity or life circumstance. Happiness is a personal state of physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being that you can experience anywhere at any time. This morning, for example, before I began to work on this book, I spent a few happy moments sitting in my driveway quietly watching my two basset hounds, Max and Dixie, experiencing another day through the many divergent smells on a crisp fall morning in Virginia. If you're like me, you're far too passive when it comes to experiencing happiness. You wait for it to find you instead of exercising your right to pursue it. It's because most people are passive when it comes to happiness that happiness seems so elusive! Face it: We live in proactive times. People around the world don't wait for freedom-they fight for it. Wealth is no longer something you have to inherit (despite what Paris Hilton may think)-you can create it. People are living longer these days. Why? Because we're learning that we can improve quality of life through the everyday choices we make. Happiness For Dummies tells you how to fight for, create, and live a long and happy life. It makes you the master of your own happy destiny!