Being Happy: Made Simple

During a major transition in my life many years ago, a friend recommended that I read, Being Happy by Andrew Matthews. My initial reaction to the book’s title was that it sounded too simplistic for me. After I read it, I realized that its simplicity was what made it great!

Matthews’ writing style is simple and concise. The result is easy-to-understand explanations of concepts that are sometimes difficult to understand and remember. He also includes a tiny summary at the end of each section that he calls “In a Nutshell” which drives key points home and makes them easier to commit to memory. Matthews is also a cartoonist, so he includes lots of illustrations that support his points.

Matthews’ work resonated with me so well that I bought several of his other titles and I modeled his writing style when I wrote my own books. The other books of his that I read include Follow Your Heart, Making Friends, How Life Works, and Happiness in a Nutshell.

See my full list of recommended books here.

Below is a list of the major points from the book Being Happy that I keep in my day planner and review often, sometimes daily.

• We are drawn toward our dominant thoughts.
• Face your fears and your fears disappear.
• We develop courage by regularly extending and testing ourselves.
• Ask for what you want.
• To achieve anything worthwhile, there is always risk involved.
• We have to abandon the search for security and reach out to the risk of living with both hands.
• Law of the universe: Rewards come after the risk.
• Find something you love to do and the wealth will flow automatically.
• “Whatever you can dream you can do… begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” -Goethe (Quote included in his book.)
• We attract what we hold in our minds. Our mind is a magnet.
• We always attract into our lives whatever we think about most, believe in most strongly, expect on the deepest levels, and/or imagine most vividly.
• We magnetize into our lives whatever we hold in our thoughts.
• All change will be met with resistance.
• Always speak and think well of yourself and visualize your life working as you want.

I use this list to keep me on track and motivated. I hope you find it useful in being happy and inspired in your own life.