Thank goodness we've been able to laugh, because the perspective of humor has given us cheerfulness in the face of challenge, has made us more flexible and resilient, and it's given us the courage to face life and make necessary changes.

A human being, like a business, makes profits and suffers losses. For a human being, however, the ultimate currency is not money, nor is it any external measure, such as fame, fortune, or power.

Gratitude reminds you of what truly matters in life. It is all too easy to get caught up in day-to-day stresses and take for granted the things that are important to us. If you remind yourself each day of the things you are thankful for, you begin to focus more on the important and less on the superficial.

The beauty of using humor and keeping a sense of lightness and playfulness in our life is that it helps us deal with life as it is -- the ups and downs, the unexpected changes, and the frustrations we may encounter.

Energy comes from humor. However, each of us, even the crotchety, must locate our sense of what's funny, raucous or wry. Although jokes often elude me, I really respond to the spontaneous comedy of life itself.

Optimism has been shown to be an important part of good health and wellness. Without such sparks of inspiration or encouragement we can tend to forget that life can be more than just the daily grind of work and responsibility.

This year made me realize that I've accumulated a whole arsenal of wonderfully powerful tools and techniques that can help me through difficult times if I choose to use them. Things like prayer and faith, meditation and yoga, music, vitamins, love, persistence, honesty, communication, and trust.

Can we learn to be happy in spite of life happening -- or rather, because life is happening? In this moment, life is reason enough to be happy. And any moment we believe we have to wait for our happiness, we're believing a lie.

To find meaning in life, one needs to reframe reality in a cumulative way. Thus, our actions and activities get stored in a metaphorical bucket. We should set goals and make progress toward these goals.

Some people say that happiness is like a pendulum -- some days you are happy, some days not, and there's not much you can do to change that. Our view is different.

Feeling understood, valued and cherished -- whether as a child or an adult, and with regard to another person or to a group -- may not be a life and death matter, but it certainly affects one's happiness and effectiveness.

Why are happy people healthier if their happiness is not affecting their health? I and my research collaborators have been looking at this issue for the past 20 years, as part of a detailed scientific study.