Imagine two men sitting on a park bench on a clear, beautiful day. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and a cool breeze blows off the nearby pond.

The first man had a dour look on his face. He's clearly anxious and lost in thought and can't see any of the beauty around him.

The second man has a slight smile on his face, and his body posture tells us that he's relaxed and enjoying the moment fully.

One of those men had a good job, a loving wife, and a beautiful home. The other hasn't been able to find work in months, is down to his bottom-dollar, and had his wife left him for his best friend.

Which man is which?

The amazing truth is that there is no way to tell. A person's happiness has nothing to do with their situation, it has to do with how willing they are to accept their situation.

Imagine this scenario: The first man, the one with the dour look on his face COULD be the one with a great job and a loving wife. He simply might not accept it. He might be a Vice President and he might be resenting that he hasn't been promoted to Senior Vice President. He might wish he had a super-model for a wife. He may wish he lived in a bigger house in a better more up-scale neighborhood. 

ACCEPTANCE of what is is a critical key to your happiness.

LEARNING ACCEPTANCE

1. Understand that wishing things were different, and wishing that you had things you don't wastes your time and energy and accomplishes nothing. (The man in the example threw away the pleasure of spending an afternoon in a beautiful park because he didn't understand this basic principle.)
   

2. Acceptance does not mean that you are unable to act to make things better. Acceptance can mean that you accept the situation and your desire to change it.
   

3. You can apply this rule to any situation:
   
   Accept it. Change it. Or Leave it.
   
   The only destructive response to any situation is to "not accept it", which causes you to stew in misery.