Let me assert that there are four secrets of happiness. It's not a guess. They come from my reading of what the researchers have observed about happy people (and they make sense to me too).

Focus on being happy now  

It's very human to think, 'I'll be happy when I've bought my own house, I've found my true love, got my promotion, made my first million, the kids are settled or I have a Lexus. It's not what the world's happy people do. Happy people know they can choose to be happy at any time, which suggests they also know it's their responsibility.

Focus on being happy now. Give yourself permission to be happy, even if life is not going as well as you would like. Think of the things that make you happy, focus on them, find ways to enjoy them more.

Why 'secrets' of happiness?

Because when I ask people in conferences if anyone knows them, it's rare for anyone to suggest even one. They seem reasonable when someone points them out, but very few of us have them as a focus.

The four secrets of happiness are in my book 'The Village That Could - the 15 ways to develop your resilience'.