Shane Eric Mathias - The Happiness Tree

THE HAPPINESSTREE

by

Shane EricMathias

FORWARD

What is Happiness and How Can YouAttain It?

About Your New Book andit's Author

What is the HappinessTree?

How Your Happiness Tree isOrganized

The 7 Key Roots

Like an AncientOak

Getting Acquainted withthe Limbs of Your Happiness Tree

LOVE

Friendship

Trust

Empathy

Dependability

Respect

The Canopy ofFriendship

Family

Connection

Heritage

Acceptance

The FamilyCanopy

Relationships

Understanding the DualNature of Self

SelfEsteem

The Canopy of theSelf

Intimacy

Touch

Boundaries

Integrity

The Question ofMarriage

When RelationshipsEnd

The RelationshipCanopy

HEALTH

Mind

Management

Balance

Recovery

What is Grief?

Is it Grief orDepression?

Expansion

The Canopy ofExpansion

Fulfillment

The Canopy ofFulfillment

2. Body

Food, Water, Digestion /Elimination

Shelter, Safety &Security, Sleep,

Managing Stress

Exercise, Sex

The ExerciseCanopy

The Body Canopy

FREEDOM

Truth

Solitude and SelfAwareness

Freedom fromDeception

The TruthCanopy

Resource Control and PersonalDiscipline

Building and MaximizingIncome

What isResource Control?

The Resource andDiscipline Canopy

Connection to Nature

The Essential Source ofEverything

World of Wisdom, Wonderand Mystery

The Nature Canopy (TheImportance of Spirituality)

PURPOSE

Creativity

Expression

Contribution

Achievement andRecognition

The CreativityCanopy

Generosity

Forgiveness

Patience

Mentorship

The GenerosityCanopy

Self Mastery

Learning andGrowth

Adapting

The Self MasteryCanopy

Bringing it AllTogether

How to Live Well and Find Happiness at AnyAge

Adolescent

Adult

Senior

Maintaining Health and Happiness in Our RapidlyEvolving Society

CopyrightStatement

The HappinessTree

By Shane EricMathias

Published by Shane EricMathias on Smashwords

Copyright 2016, Shane EricMathis

Smashwords Edition,License Notes

This ebook islicensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not bere-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to sharethis book with another person, please purchase an additional copyfor each recipient. If you re reading this bookand did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only,then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer andpurchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work ofthis author.

THE HAPPINESSTREE

FORWARD

WHAT IS HAPPINESS AND HOWCAN YOU ATTAIN IT?

Well, certainly one flawed concept wehave all grown up with is that someday "we will all findhappiness". Happiness is not like found money, that just fell outof someone's pocket, nor should it be. Because reaching this allimportant destination in your personal journey is not somethingthat should be left to chance. It's a nice illusion to think thatwe can just sit back and one day, the right person, the right job,indeed the perfect life will just fall out of the sky and we'lllive happily ever after. But as you will learn, happiness requiresaction on your part. It is a state of mind that is nurtured andcultivated. The good news is, it's not just a matter of luck: YOUare actually in control. Therefore happiness is well within yourgrasp, whatever your circumstances or age.

Happiness isperhaps most clearly defined by what it is not, rather than what itis. Happiness differs from it's related emotions excitement,elation and bliss, which though potentially more intense, areshort-lived emotional states. Also, it's a common mistake toassociate one's happiness with certain events, such as becomingwealthy, or taking a cruise. But while these events may "make youhappy" initially, they do not necessarily create happiNESS, whichis really a cultivated way of life, rather than an emotion. It is astate of mind which ideally, we should expect to return to when theclouds of adversity have begun to clear. Let me say that again: Happiness is a cultivated way of life, rather than anemotion. A state of mind which we should expect to return to whenthe temporary clouds of adversity have begun to clear. That is a profound statement,because like most of you, for many years, I found my level ofhappiness ebbing and flowing with the changes in my life, changesover which I seemed to have little control. This sense of one'slife being chaotic and out of control creates tremendousinsecurity, because from one minute to the next, one may experiencejoy and then sadness: with emotions shifting like sands in thewind.

This lack ofemotional continuity can drive us to make poor decisions in aneffort to address what we may feel is "missing" in our lives.Chasing short term pleasures may placate our lack of fulfillment inthe short term, but usually the payback exceeds whatever may havebeen gained by the action. And once the initial flush of excitementis over, you're usually right back where you started from. Why isthis? Because the fundamental underpinnings of sustainable happiness were not in place. Meaning, if we base our happinesson always being young, gorgeous, successful, wealthy, busy orpopular, we will be disappointed most of the time. So, what is thekey to living with the reality of our life as it is right now whilestill experiencing true, sustainable happiness? Follow me as weexplore your Happiness Tree in detail and find the definitiveanswer to that question, together.

AboutYour New Book and it's Author

Hello, I'm Shane Mathias. I am just aordinary guy, who is attempting to live my life in an extraordinaryway. I am not a conventional academic, but rather a keen observerof human nature. And what you have before you is the result of myhaving lived my own life as a sort of ongoing experiment,researching the evolution of my own happiness and thenextrapolating that to achieve a greater understanding as to whyhappiness is at once so essential to the human experience and yet,seemingly elusive

The Happiness Tree is a fresh, new lookat the "anatomy of happiness". It is not based on any religion,faith, cult, organization or unseen spiritual force. It is apractical, step by step guide that defines happiness and explainshow you can create and sustain it. Rather than focusing on whatmakes people emotionally sick and then trying to figure out how tofix them, it seems to me it's more useful to discover what makespeople happy and keeps them that way. Can you imagine what mighthappen if our nation, indeed our world, suddenly began experiencingan epidemic of happiness? The murder rate would plummet,international conflict would become relegated to the history books,spousal abuse, rape, theft and crime in general would all butdisappear. And the resources spent on police forces and militarybudgets could be redirected to address the many health, wealth andenvironmental issues that plague us today.

What I will never know is how my lifemight have been different had I acquired this wisdom earlier. Butnow, at fifty-something, I do believe it takes all of us a while tofigure this life thing out. What I don't believe is that everyonemust struggle and sacrifice alone in the dark in an effort to earncontentment and serenity, at the risk of possibly living withoutit. It is possible to quickly shift your perspective on and yourrelationship to yourself and the world around you and beginexperiencing a sustainable happiness today.

Yes, I nowknow that you can grow your own happiness, that you and you aloneare the tender of your happiness garden and to a large extent, incontrol of the bounty it produces. So many of us learn by makingmistakes sometimes repeatedly, but that is a costly gamefilled with stress, fear, disappointment and wasted time. What ifinstead of taking a leap of faith, you could proceed withconfidence, towards a meaningful life? Becoming a functional,healthy and happy person in weeks, rather than years. Too lofty anaspiration? I say not!