The second step of happiness is that we are all responsible for our behaviors. This means that you are more in control of what happens to you than you think. Because you are in control of your actions and your actions are not in control of you.

Personal power:
Although you cannot control what happens to you in your life, you can control how you react to it. Accepting responsibility for the state of your happiness at the moment and deciding to adopt Happiness habits puts control of life squarely with you. This is true personal power.

The internal voice:
Inside our head we each have a voice that talks to us, giving a running commentary as we go through life.
The little voice does a very powerful job in undermining your self-belief and self-confidence, causing you to question your self-worth, your relationships with others and how other people see you.

Happiness lies within:
The starting point for happiness has to come from within. It does not lie in anyone else’s power to make you happy. Marriage is rarely the fairy tale we dream about but requires consistent effort, energy and flexibility to build the lasting relationship most of us are seeking.

Recognize the power of your filters:
The filter that you are using is one that only allows the good things through. You simply don’t see any of small irritations that might well be there all along. Happiness is built on unity and harmony whereas unhappiness is built on discord and difference.

Emotional hijacks:
When relationships are running well and smoothly, we tend to relax and feel cheerful. However, when they go wrong we are upset, out of sorts and anxious. It can affect our mood, our sleep pattern, and our eating habits and how we feel. That means you are emotionally hijack and your relationships are on higher risk.

Brilliant Ideas to develop the happiness habit in your behavior:

I. How to stop petty arguments and rows that seem to go on and on:
Now is the time to ban from your life the unproductive, energy sapping debates that are not about something of any importance anyway.
As it takes two people to engage in any argument, then resolve to be the one who will behave differently. Don’t wait for someone else to change what he or she say or do-you be the one to initiate change.

II. Just too late to be on time:
If you are someone who loves organization, schedules, plans and knowing exactly what you are doing and when you are doing it and if you live or work with someone who operates in a different way, choose something that is relatively unimportant and this time do it in a way that you normally wouldn’t.
For example, if you normally book tickets for the cinema before you go, don’t bother this time. All the tickets may be sold out, so you may end up watching film you might not have chosen.
By changing your behavior, it will have an effect on the person you are with. You may find that people like the new carefree you or they may be missing the organization you previously brought to their life.

III. The elephant in the room:
Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a relationship where you both find it impossible to talk about an important issue? It could be small or too big problems (elephant). Ignoring this particular elephant has led to growing estrangement and isolation within the relationship.
Check out if an elephant is the room in the relationships you have. It will take courage to acknowledge the elephant and discuss what to do. It will also bring relief and will be the first step in resolving the issue.

IV. Making the most of your colleagues:
Research shows that having a best friend at work is a key ingredient of happiness at work. Have you got a friend and an ally at work? If not, try out these ideas to track one down!
How to find a best friend at work

• The next time you get into the lift, talk to who ever are there with you.
• Decide to use e-mail only when you have to and drop by a colleague’s desk instead of phoning or e-mailing.
• Bring a cake into the office on your birthday and share it with colleagues.

V. Do something unexpected:
A healthy and comfortable part of relationships is the reliability of how people are likely to behave. You know what people will do and people know what you will do. However, you can prevent boredom seeping into your relationship and add sparkle to your life by changing your normal pattern of behaviors.

• Buy an unexpected present.
• Buy your supermarket shopping on line for a change and use the time you save to go out with your family for a walk.
• Switch television off for a week and find other things to do.
• Leave the car in the garage and go out with your family on foot.
• The next time you drive past someone you know at a bus stop, offer him or her a lift.
• Eat together at a different time. If you usually eat in the kitchen, eat in the dining room and vice versa.

VI. Do it your way:
The route of personal fulfillment is choosing what is right or you.
Write a list of the things you regularly say to yourself.
‘I should…’
‘I shouldn’t….’
Think through how you would be if you were to say;
‘I choose to…’
‘I choose not to…’
Doing this makes sure you are back in the driving seat of your own life, following your own path, not following a path set out by someone else.

VII. Death to routine:
Routine is part of our lives. Look at your own life and identity those areas of routine. Replace routine with ritual- something to look forward to rather than dread. The ritual is full of the excitement of the unknown. Do anything that makes a small step changing in your life.