Nature gives each of us the power to design and to fashion our own unique and special identity...and the choice to live our creation on a daily, moment-to moment, basis or not. It is a constant choice we each must make. There is no halfway measure, no compromise, possible. Either you honor and are true to who you really are, what you truly believe, or you live a lie, a masquerade. Other than life itself, the power that nature gives us is the most wondrous, glorious and joyous gift we can ever receive.

From the Prologue

I did not personally know the first human being to ever walk the planet Earth. But it would have been fascinating and enlightening to have done so.What did he (or she) think about? Could he think in any way comparable to the way that we do? Did he ask questions of himself? And what type of questions? Did he wonder where he was? Where everyone else was? Did he realize he was alive? Did he wonder what life was all about? And what about his feelings? Did he feel good about waking up in the morning? Did he look forward to things? Was he hopeful? Or did he feel lonely, anxious, afraid? Was he angry? And if so, at what, and why? And perhaps most importantly, did he experience a long-term overall sense of pleasure and contentment and well-being? In other words, was he happy? Of course, we have no way of knowing for certain. After all, he left no records, no written descriptions of his mental state. He was examined by no one. He took no psychological tests. But if I were to guess, I would think he was happy, and here's why: Happiness derives from a pattern of attaining one's values...that is, one's goals. One's rational values and goals. And being alone on the Earth, he must have acquired his rational values and goals or he could not have survived for very long. He must have acquired the food he needed to satisfy his hunger and his biological needs. He must have somehow found shelter from the elements and from the wild beasts around him who perceived him as a way to satisfy their hunger. In all likelihood, he found some companionship with some tamer animals. He probably saw the beauty of a mountainside, a waterfall, a sunset, a bird on the wing.

Now, to be sure, he could not experience many other sorts of pleasure...painting, sculpture, music (although he might have banged a stone with a stick), literature, human love. But I have to believe that in the sense that he survived, that he managed to acquire a measure of control over his life and to overcome the threats to his life, he must have felt a sense of efficacy, a measure of pride and of self-esteem. A feeling of living successfully. A feeling of being happy. Throughout the ages, man has sought to discover and to understand what it takes to achieve the wonderfully rewarding feeling of being happy. Why some achieve it and others do not. Library and bookstore shelves are filled with a seemingly endless array of books that proclaim some insight into the mystery from all sorts of perspectives...emotional, psychological, financial, physical, spiritual. And this book is yet another one. Another one that offers clues to happiness. But this one from a different perspective. A natural one. As you will see, this book examines the issue of happiness from the most basic and fundamental perspectives applicable to human beings and proves its points by reference to obvious facts in reality. It is interesting to note that if you ask yourself why you are doing something, the ultimate answer will always be something like: "So that I will be happy."

For example:

Q: Why do you go to work? A: To make money. Q: Why do you want to make money? A: To be financially able to buy things, like a new car. Q: Why do you want a new car? A: Because it looks and drives better. Q: Why do you want a car that looks and drives better. A: Because it will make me happy.

In other words, the goal of all our activity is to be happy. That has been, is and for all time will be universally true for all rational, mentally healthy, people. No wonder, then, the unrelenting quest for keys to happiness. The ideas in this book are not all new to me. I have learned from others. I have added perspectives of my own. And the integration of the material and the form of presentation are peculiarly mine. I can tell you that my realizing and implementing the ideas in this book on a daily basis changed my life. It has given me a greater sense of control over my life, my mental functioning, my feelings, the achievement of my goals. It has dramatically changed for the better my reactions, emotional and otherwise, to external influences. It has made me feel more harmonious with the natural world and has made me more comfortable with myself, with my own being. It has awakened in me my true self, and has allowed the real me to come alive. And perhaps most importantly, and as a consequence of all of the above, it has made happiness easier to attain and maintain. I can now even find happiness in the discipline I use to acquire it, and in the pride I feel in being true to my ideas. Which means, being loyal and true to myself. In other words, I (and you) can experience happiness in the search for it.