How to Make Yourself Happy, Courtesy of Carolyn Hax
Short description of a long process: Figure out the things that make you feel confident/fulfilled/energized; that give you a sense of purpose or accomplishment; that tap into your natural abilities and strengths; and that -don't- put you at the mercy of any one person, and orient your life around those.
Often, this requires another step--concurrently or as a precursor--of reducing the role in your life of things that make you feel worthless/empty/exhausted; that require skills that don't come naturally; that feel like a waste of time; or that put you routinely at the mercy of others.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/02/20/DI2009022002786.html
Often, this requires another step--concurrently or as a precursor--of reducing the role in your life of things that make you feel worthless/empty/exhausted; that require skills that don't come naturally; that feel like a waste of time; or that put you routinely at the mercy of others.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/02/20/DI2009022002786.html