If you want to be happy then be

If you want to be happy then be
The secret of happiness is quite simple, according to the great Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy. Indeed. Meanwhile, Susan Polis Schutz continued the idea. “This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well, and the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Also, take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. At last, take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy.”

“Listen to what is being preached today. Look at everyone around us. You’ve wondered why they suffer, why they seek happiness and never find it. If any man stopped and asked himself whether he’s ever held a truly personal desire, he’d find the answer. He’d see that all his wishes, his efforts, his dreams, his ambitions are motivated by other men. He’s not really struggling even for material wealth, but for the second-hander’s delusion – prestige. A stamp of approval, not his own. He can find no joy in the struggle and no joy when he has succeeded. He can’t say about a single thing: ‘This is what I wanted because I wanted it, not because it made my neighbors gape at me’. Then he wonders why he’s unhappy.”
— Ayn Rand (The Fountainhead)

If you want to be happy then be