Imagine waking up every day on the right side of the bed. Imagine living a stress-free life with big belly laughs and sweet smiles in every moment. Imagine if I told you that you already do.

That's right. You do. Your life is full of happiness potential. You're just standing in your own way. This year, instead of jewelry or high-tech gadgets, give yourself the gift of happiness. Start right now.

Tap into your senses.
Right now, what do you see? What do you smell? What can you taste? What do you hear? Right now, who can you touch?

Using your senses is a great way to get the best out of the moment you are in. A lot of people are lost in the misery of the past or preoccupied with their happiness in the future. If you fall in either of those categories, you can break free with a simple breath.

Take a deep breath. Close your eyes and visualize yourself with a fishing rod, reeling it in to you. Imagine the fishing rod is reeling in your thoughts to the here and now. Once you're connected with the moment happening right now, use your senses to discover the morsels of goodness surrounding you and savor them. Every moment has a gift.

I actively trained my brain for six months to live in the moment, every moment of every day. When I finally achieved it, an enormous amount of stress was released from my shoulders and I found the ‘flow' of life. Now, nothing can happen that would take me out of this moment.

Take care of yourself.
So many of us, especially women, put everything and everyone else in front of our own needs. It can feel foreign or selfish to have to take care of ourselves, but it is vital for our sustainable happiness and the happiness we extend to those around us.

Imagine you are a bucket full of water, and you go around filling up everyone else's buckets. You're so busy filling up other people's buckets that no one can tend to your own, not even you. Eventually, your bucket will be empty. You have to take responsibility for filling up your own bucket, and give yourself permission to do it. 

Self-love, self-acceptance, self-worth and self-esteem all play a role in how well we take care of ourselves. If you don't feel you are worthy of, or deserve, attention and care, you will not allow yourself to be happy. Use your self-care to nurture your mind, body and spirit.

Aymee Coget is offering a teleseminar "Sustainable Happiness Secrets for the Holidays" to help you learn more about scientifically proven happiness skills and how to use them practically in your own life. For more information or to register, visit http://makemehappyteleseminar.eventbrite.com.

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In 1996, Aymee Coget decided to devote her entire life to helping millions of people live happier lives. Since then, she has busily been pursuing a doctorate in organizational psychology, enduring intense personal development and creating a profession out of making people happy. Aymee offers a three-month program that she invented that guarantees sustainable happiness, runs the California chapter of the Happiness Club, and is developing a TV show to help people get happy. Her book Wake-Up and Smile: Your Guide to Sustainable Happiness is due out in early 2008. You can learn more about her and how to live a happy life at Make Me Happy TV.