When we look back on our lives, many of us think about our childhood as a time when we are without worry. Because as adults, the magnitude of our responsibilities has increased, and we have worry about our livelihood and raising families. Therefore, adults are never as happy. Ask an adult why and he or she is quick to point out all the causes of their discontent in the blink of an eye. So, we try and form desirable habits to alleviate as much of this unhappiness as we can. But forming these habits is never easy. We seldom stick to our new year’s resolutions. We often develop bad habits unconsciously, and it takes considerable and conscious effort to turn them into desirable ones. This conscious effort is difficult to maintain because giving up an undesirable habit usually means to give up something that brings us comfort.

Self-discipline is never fun. Before we can try to form these habits of happiness, we need to understand what happiness is (and is not) and how habits work. We then must focus on the rewards from seeing ourselves through developing these habits. Through this knowledge and strategies to reinforce positive behaviors, only then can we effectively form these habits of happiness.