How to be happy

I was reading an article for my school blog and came across this:

1. Stop comparing yourself and competing with others: Maybe I've just been lucky, but I don't understand envy. I know so many people who are eaten up because they don't think they have the looks, the smarts, the possessions or the power of some other people they (think they) know. I see people whose whole life seems to be about getting attention and approval and appreciation from others. This is insane, consigning yourself to slavery to others' judgements. How do we get this way? Is low self-esteem something that is bred into us to keep us in line, acquisitive, dissatisfied with what we have? Whatever the cause, we need to get over it. The only standard that counts is whether you're doing what you love, what you're good at (in your own assessment), and whether, in the process, you're happy. Popularity, wealth, power, and awards mostly measure good fortune and fads, nothing more.
2. Get things done: There are few things better for you than a sense of accomplishment. The keys to getting things done are not over-promising, making your GTD list achievable, doing what's important not what's urgent (and training others not to give you urgent unimportant tasks), and breaking big tasks down into small, manageable ones.
3. Let-yourself-change: Stop trying to change the world. Adapt yourself to the world instead. Let yourself change. Become resilient. The model you represent to others is more likely to bring about sustained change than big, impossible projects.
4. Stop worrying about what you can't do anything about: Easy to say, hard to do, I know. I wrote about this yesterday. Whenever you catch yourself getting stressed, practice letting go - you'll get better at it in time.
5. Learn something new (useful or fun) every day: It's the best way to cope with sadness and feelings of helplessness. Learn things that will make you more self-sufficient - learn skills and capacities, not about unactionable events and facts.
6. Be good to others: Acts of kindness tend to pay unexpected and compound dividends, and they make you feel good about yourself too.
7. Centre yourself: To be more in control of yourself, pay attention to what you feel, what your senses and instincts and body tell you, turn off the noises in your house and your head. Learn to meditate or otherwise relax. Give yourself more time by realizing your time is worth more than what you're paid for it, and then spend and take that time, in nature, in peaceful places, just taking stock and being in the moment.
8. Look after your body: Exercise, eat and drink well, and get lots of sleep and rest.
9. Surround yourself with loving people: People you love and who love you. Animals and children. People who give a damn. People who are happy and respectful of others. Avoid miserable and angry people. Spend some time alone, but not too much.
10. Do some spontaneous, playful things: Create something bold. Travel on the spur of the moment. Entertain. Run. Indulge. Dance. Get a massage. You get the idea.

I would like to focus on one, but the list is just too comprehensive, but good! But how about number 9. I guess that's my goal for the next year. I've already done number 7 intensely over the last few years. And number 6 is what I base my life on - Pay it Forward. Spent the last 5 years on number 5, and will likely continue it for my entire life. Ahhhh, good old number 4. I'm trying to get better at that one, too. Number 2 is key. I feel great when I get things done. Which makes me wonder why I lay around in bed so often doing nothing. Or watching CSI 3 hours a day. Eff it, I'm making a list on my whiteboard right now about the things that I need to get done in this semester. That helped immensely in my pre-internship. Then I will have that feeling that I got something done that will help me get something done. Word.