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Three Prescriptions for Happiness © 2010 by Axios Press. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations used in critical articles and reviews. When it was originally published in 1981 as Prescriptions for Happiness, it was not copyrighted but bore this notice: “Prescriptions for Happiness . . . was written as a gift to our world that is suffering from separateness, noncooperation, strife, and unhappiness.”

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-60419-094-6

Table of Contents

Introduction

The First Prescription

The Second Prescription

The Third Prescription

The Three Prescriptions

To all my students whose support and dedication to their growth help me learn about and pass on the Science of Happiness—and to all those whose open and inquiring minds will someday bring these effective principles into their lives.

—Ken Keyes, Jr.

Introduction

I guess you know.

You have been shortchanging yourself.

You’ve been depriving yourself

of just about everything

that’s really worth having in life—

ENERGY

INSIGHT

PERCEPTIVENESS

LOVE

PEACE OF MIND

JOY

WISDOM

AND A DEEP FEELING OF PURPOSE.

If it’s any consolation,

most likely everybody else you know

has been lousing up

his or her life,

too.

But you don’t have to

keep on adding

to the dismal statistics

of unhappiness:

a life without much warmth and love,

pushing yourself to do your job,

a turned-off marriage,

divorce, anxiety,

sexual restlessness,

boredom, loneliness,

fear, resentment, hatred,

frustration, anger, worry,

jealousy, irritation,

headaches, ulcers,

and high blood pressure,

plus a general feeling

of queasiness and uneasiness

about everything

from your bank account

to the nuclear bomb.

Why

punish yourself

any longer?

You’ve been blaming

it all on others—

or on yourself.

But a part of you knows

it’s only some

unskillful habit patterns

of your mind

that constantly set you up

for creating unhappiness

time after time!

Really look at

what you’re doing

to yourself.

Is it possible

for you

to live a joyous

and happy life

with peace of mind

in our topsy-turvy world?

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

If—

This is a big

If.

Are you ready for it?

You can be happy

if

You use the Three Prescriptions for Happiness explained in this book.

These three prescriptions

really work.

They’ll work

even if

you don’t think

they’ll work.

You may be telling yourself

that there is no way

they could work

in one of your life situations. . . .

But if you just take

these three prescriptions

and use them,

they will work for you

every time.

They’re simple to understand.

They work—

if you do!

However, there is something

that will get in the way

of your applying them

in specific life situations

when you

most need them.

That something is you!

Actually

it’s

not

really

you. . . .

It’s only your mental habits,

and your selected memories

of how you think things are

that keep you from

molding things in your life

in a more harmonious way.

It’s pride or

silly models of prestige

that get in your way.

Sometimes your mind would rather

prove itself right

than let you be happy!

But with practice,

you can learn

to handle these impediments.

I know you really want

to live a happy life.

We all do.

So let’s get to work.

The First Prescription

Here’s the first

of the Three

Prescriptions for Happiness:

You stand a better chance

of getting what you want

when you ask for it

than when you don’t.

That’s obvious.

Why do you

often fail to ask

for what you want?

Sometimes you’re afraid

that people

will be mad

at you

if you do.

Sometimes you hesitate

to assert yourself.

Perhaps you expect people

to read your mind.

Maybe you are practicing up

to become a martyr.

It’s very simple—

just learn to ask

for what you want.

You don’t have to pussyfoot

or play nicey-nicey.

You don’t have to scream or yell.

You don’t have

to fire up your mind

and make people

terribly wrong

if they don’t do

what you ask.

You don’t have to clam up.

You don’t have

to retreat into

a deafening silence

that puts your relationship

into a deep freeze.

Just simply

ask for what you want—

without playing deceptive games,

without loading it down

with separating emotions

or implied threats,

without using

a heavy tone of voice.

Simply

but definitely

and specifically,

ask for

what you want!

Practice asking

for what you want

by noticing

how simply and directly

you can make requests

such as,

“Please pass the pepper,”

or

“Will you lock the door

when you leave?”

You’ll be getting

the hang of it when you can

ask for ANYTHING

in the same tone of voice

and with the same ease

as when you ask someone

to pass the pepper

or lock the door.

You will have to

practice a bit—

lots of bits!

You won’t always find it easy

to ask for money,

love,

sex,

or no sex,

assistance of various kinds

in a simple

yet specific

no-big-deal way.

Being simple,

direct and specific,

without making

a pressure-cooker situation

out of asking

for what you want

is a skill

you will have to develop

if you want to live

a happier life.

Now let’s look at

the second part of the prescription:

“but don’t demand it.”

A demanding act comes from

a demanding frame of mind.

Look at your separating feelings,

your attitudes and mental positions.

And then see how you

act out your demands:

by playing “poor me,”

by playing “you hurt me” and

by playing “if you really loved me. . . .”

and on and on.

This will take

a lot of practice

because we’re all so used

to demanding

so many things.

Remember, you can demand

with a forceful tone

or with silent pursed lips.

It’s your vibrations that count!

Why do you

automatically demand

so much?

You’re afraid people

won’t treat you right

if you’re not demanding.

You’re afraid people

will run all over you.

So you make yourself very cactusy.

You’re sure you’re right—

and you want your rights

even if

you make yourself unhappy

getting your rights!

You feel that

when you spend

a lot of time with someone,

you’d better

shape up the person

so he or she

will fit your models!

But are you making

yourself happier

with all this demanding?

Do you really get

what you most want

in your life

through your demanding?

Are you really ready

to look

at how you are

addictively demanding

so many things of yourself,

of other people

and the world?

If you look closely

at the results you’ve had

from all the demanding

you’ve done recently,

I think you’ll conclude

that even though

you’re right,

the results you get

from demanding

are not all that good.

In other words,

most of the demanding you do

doesn’t add

to your happiness.

You lose more happiness

than you gain.

You may discover

that a lot

of what you get

does not come

because of

your demanding it.

Why does it come?

It comes

because

it comes.

You’re a part

of it all.

You have a right

to be here.

Sometimes you get

what you want

by demanding.

But it’s like

losing a dollar

and gaining

a quarter!

When you either

loudly or softly demand

(instead of prefer)

you will lose:

insight,

humor,

enjoyment,

a feeling of love

(for yourself and others)

and your peace of mind.

You’ve cheated yourself.

You never deserve

to be cheated by yourself.

How do you stop demanding?

It will mean loosening

the tight grip

you feel inside you.

It will mean softening

the tones of your voice.

It will mean letting go

of that rock-like stance

you put on

when you ask for something.

It will mean that you

stop frowning

and feeling so serious

about the soap opera

we call life.

You’ll probably

find it scary at first.

But with practice

it will be very relaxing

when you learn to ask for

what you want

without demanding.

It will mean taking the

this-is-such-a-heavy-problem tone

out of your requests—

along with all

the threatening

and worried

overtones.

It will mean sometimes

asking for things

with a smile and a feeling of fun

showing that

you’re tuned in

to the way life

is just a cosmic joke

after all!

Non-demanding means

that you learn

to ask lightly—

often humorously.

It’s like you’re

playing the game

of trying to get

what you want—

but you’re well aware

that you win some

and you lose some.

And it’s OK to lose.

You can be a good sport

about the game of life.

Asking for what you want

without demanding

means that you stop hinting

about what you want.

It means that you don’t put things

so obliquely that people will have to

try to figure out what you want.

It means you stop going around

with a heavy disposition

hoping someone will ask you

what’s the matter.

It means you quit downing yourself

by deciding in advance

that people won’t want

to give it to you

or that you don’t deserve

to get what you want.

It means that you learn

to ask again

for what you want TODAY—

even though you asked yesterday

without results.

Each day is

a new day.

You don’t let

your memories of the past

hang over and cloud up

the beautiful day

YOU CAN CREATE TODAY.

Now you’re getting the hang of

Prescription No. 1:

“Ask for what you want—

but don’t demand it.”

That’s the first of the

Three Prescriptions for Happiness.

The Second Prescription

Here’s the Second

Prescription for Happiness:

This second prescription

may be the toughest one

for you to use.

“Accept whatever happens—for now”

may mean

that you’ll have to learn

to accept the “unacceptable.”

You may have

to forgive the “unforgivable.”

You may have

to love the “unlovable.”

You’ll have to learn

to get your finger off

that emergency alarm button

in your mind

that keeps you wound up

so tight inside.

Do you really think

your survival is threatened

by the stuff

you’re clinging to

or running away from?

It means that

you’ll have to tell your mind

that what looks like

a catastrophe—

just ain’t so!

There are many

other people

who are emotionally accepting

what you’re making yourself

unhappy about.

If they can

accept the “unacceptable,”

perhaps you can, too.

Can you give yourself

the insight

that it’s your struggle

and your demanding

that’s making you unhappy?

It’s not whatever

you’re struggling over.

It’s your emotion-backed demand,

not the life situation itself,

that causes your experience

of unhappiness!

Make a list of

all the things

you couldn’t stand

last year—

and the year before.

Some of them

you’ve now learned

to emotionally accept.

This is called growth.

You’re too wonderful

to keep yourself

from growing more.

Most of your life problems

can no longer

be effectively handled

by primitive

“fight or flight”

responses.

You usually deprive yourself

of getting the most

from the people and situations

around you

when you come on with power

or let your fears

make you run away.

To develop the most

satisfying outcomes,

most of your problems

require more insight and a

practical back-and-forth

working with the situation

over a period of time.

Try to remember

that it’s always your

emotion-backed demands

that are really

the practical cause

of your own unhappiness.

The art of happiness

means learning to be with

and to work and play with

the cast of characters you’ve brought into

your life.

Retreating won’t do it.

Coming on

like a ten ton truck

won’t do it,

either.

Emotionally accepting

and patiently working

with life situations

will get you

the most that’s gettable!

Remember that a lot

of human suffering

is caused by the mind

that takes offense

at what’s happening.

You don’t have to respond

to ANYTHING

by taking offense.

You can learn to forgive yourself—

and others.

Accepting may mean that

you look at what you do have—

and quit focusing so much

on what you don’t have.

You constantly throw yourself

out of the experience

of enoughness

because your mind

is continuously preoccupied

with what you don’t have.

You don’t let yourself enjoy

what you have

here and now

in your life.

It’s ridiculous

what you keep doing

to yourself.

You have so much—

but you take it

for granted.

You constantly

make your happiness

dependent on

what you don’t have—

or getting rid of

something you do have!

Do you have

enough air to breathe,

enough food and water

and some shelter from the elements?

Everything else

you’re emotionally demanding

(and losing happiness over)

is a neurotic game

your mind

is playing with you.

How long

are you going to let

your mind

destroy your happiness?

Whenever

you turn your mind loose,

hankering after

what you don’t have,

you keep on creating

the experience of unhappiness.

Whenever you direct your mind

into noticing and appreciating

the beautiful things

you always have,

there’s no end

to the happiness

you will experience.

It’s your choice—

how you operate

your mind—

and your life.

“Accept whatever happens—for now.”

It doesn’ t mean you have to

like what’s happening.

It doesn’t mean you have to

stop trying to change

what’s happening.

It doesn’t mean you have to think

that whatever happens is right.

“Accept whatever happens—for now”

may mean:

You’re going to stop

making yourself

so afraid, so angry,

so resentful, so worried—

and so unhappy.

You’re going to prefer

that something be different—

but not addictively

demand it any longer!

You’re going to change

your internal emotional experience.

Suppose you’re mad at someone.

Do you hold on to your anger

because you believe

if you stopped being mad

it would make him or her

“right”?

Perhaps you need

more practice

in gently holding onto

what you feel is right

without creating anger

in yourself.

Do you hold onto

irritation and resentment

because you’re embarrassed

to let go?

Look at all the uptightness

and tension

you’re creating

in your body and mind.

Relax for your own sake.

You can enlarge your perspective.

You can let go of your negativity—

and your “me–vs.–you” resistance

even when you’re right.

Does being upset

have to be

an unavoidable consequence

of being right?

When you’re right,

you can be serene

and not lose

your peace of mind.

A skillful mind

can be right

in a given situation

and at the same time

let itself feel good

when people don’t

agree with it.

To be happy

and feel good,

you can no longer afford

to let your mind

get away with criticalness

and disdainful judgmentalness

hiding under

a mask of politeness.

Let go of convincing others

that you’re right—

and treat yourself

to happiness!

This accepting or letting go

is a sensitive

inner surrender—

not a forced

outer surrender.

INNER SURRENDER

is not based on

your feeling defeated.

It comes from

your

own

intelligent

choice.

It’s based on INSIGHT—

not fear.

It’s a wise decision

(even a purely selfish decision!)

that you make for yourself

to get more happiness

in your life.

It’s a skill

you’ll have to practice.

It does not

come easily

to the human mind.

The letting go,

the inner surrender,

the non-demanding

we are talking about

IS VASTLY DIFFERENT

from defeat,

or submissiveness,

or a loss of strength,

or diminished effectiveness,

or loss of individuality.

Notice that

when you’re defeated,

you don’t really let go

of your inner demand.

You just turn loose

of the bone

you were fighting over.

You’re still tormented inside

by an inner desire

that dominates

your consciousness—

you are still demanding the bone.

What we’re talking about is

YOUR RELEASING YOURSELF

FROM INNER DESIRES

for what the world

is not ready

to give you

right here

and right now.

Wisely letting go

saves your energy,

clears your mind,

gives you sharper insights,

enables you to enjoy

the here–and–now moment

in your life

and helps you

increase your love

for yourself

and all other people.

As you learn

to emotionally accept it all,

you will heal the

THREE BLEEDING SEPARATENESSES

that keep you from getting

the most from your life.

You’ll unify your psyche,

often divided against itself—

(your mind vs. your mind)

repressing, judging, downing you

and creating unpleasant feelings.

You’ll heal the

mind–vs.–body split

that destroys your aliveness

by rejecting or ignoring your body,

its by-products or its desires—

and makes you feel half-dead.

You’ll no longer perpetuate

the me–vs.–others battle

that keeps you alienated from people

and destroys your joy of living.

This gentle letting go

of the demands

and attachments

of your mind

represents the highest level

of true strength

and character

in a human being.

Now let’s look

at the last two words

in the second prescription.

What do we mean by

“for now”?

For now” means “for now.”

Everything in life changes.

You’ll be surprised

how often things

will change

and give you

what you want—

without your manipulating

or forcing them—

when you use the

Three Prescriptions for Happiness.

“For now”

helps your mind

tune in to

the here and now.

After all,

the here and now

is all

you’ve ever got.

You only have

the “now moment.”

Yesterday is gathering dust

in the files of your brain.

And tomorrow is only a thought.

There will never be a tomorrow!

When tomorrow comes

it will always be “now.”

That’s why the

now moment

is “eternal”!

Don’t give up

your now happiness,

thinking it will

all be better—

tomorrow.

It hasn’t—

and it won’t.

Now is it!

It’s all you’ve got—ever.

Postponed happiness

may be

lost happiness.*

* Alas!

So stop making yourself

so upset

because life is

the way it is.

In the precise here–and–now moment

there is nothing you can do

to change anything.

Maybe you can change it

one second from now—

or one month from now.

And it’s OK

to play the game

of shaping things up

the way you want them.

Just don’t make

yourself unhappy

in the meanwhile.

Why not be kind to yourself—

“for now”?

Relax your too-active mind.

Our minds stay so busy

regretting the dead past

and creating concern

about the imaginary future that

now is continually lost!

Enjoy what’s now—

even though

a part of it

is not the way

you want it to be.

One of the things

you haven’t been willing to face

is that your life

will never meet

your mental models of perfection.

It’s always been “imperfect.”

It always will be “imperfect.”

That’s the way life is.

If you want to be happy

you’ll learn to be with life

and accept life

the way it is—

which means

it will sometimes fit your expectations—

and sometimes it won’t.

Sometimes life is lousy.

BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO

MAKE YOURSELF FEEL LOUSY.

If your mind

will look around

it will see

that it always

HAS ENOUGH

to be happy!

If you’ll just PREFER

that things be different,

you can enjoy your life.

And you can put energy

into changing

what you don’t like.

But quit demanding

that they be different

from the way they are now—

even if you’re right!

In other words,

the happy person

learns to live

with the daily “imperfections”

of his or her life.

As you grow

in awareness

you’ll discover

that it’s all perfect—

either for your growth

or your enjoyment!

Sometimes

you won’t want

to grow so fast!

Sometimes you can use the past

for your present growth.

Look back again

over what’s happened

in your life

during the past year. . . .

Did all your uprightness,

did all your fear, anger, jealousy,

worry, resentment, grief,

irritation, and heartbreak

solve your problems?

Replay in your mind

the heavy dramatic “acts”

in the soap opera of your life

during the past year.

Can you see

how you could have used

the second prescription,

“Accept whatever happens—for now,”

in every one of those situations

and you would not have had

to make yourself

so upset and unhappy?

Always remember

that the purpose

of the second prescription

is to try

to instantly stop

the way you’ve been

making yourself unhappy

time after time,

day after day.

These Prescriptions for Happiness

show you how to

change your experience of life!

If you do this

you can let yourself

enjoy your life

all the time—

even when things go

from bad to worse.

As you increase your skill

in using the

Three Prescriptions for Happiness,

you can be happy

most of the time.

To enjoy your life

most of the time,

you’ve got to realize

that the world

hasn’t been doing it to you!

You’ve been doing it yourself!

The world rolls on—

and does what it does.

But only you can create

YOUR EXPERIENCE

of your life.

Now let’s summarize

some of the things

your mind may forget:

You can emotionally

“accept whatever happens—for now”

and at the same time

you do not have to like

what happens.

You can try to change

whatever is wisely changeable

without setting up

more problems in your life.

To emotionally accept

whatever happens

means that

you don’t even have

to give up your feelings

that what is happening

is wrong!

You just give up

making yourself unhappy!

You can create

an enjoyable experience

of your life—

even when things

aren’t the way

you’d like them to be.

And that begins to happen

when you learn to

“accept whatever happens—for now.”

As long as you live,

you’ll win some

and you’ll lose some.

Your life

will sometimes seem “perfect”

and sometimes seem “imperfect.”

Things will go up and down.

BUT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF LIFE

DOES NOT HAVE TO GO

UP AND DOWN!

Good luck.

Remember, you can

master your mind

when the going gets rough.

The Third Prescription

You’re now ready

for the Third

Prescription for Happiness:

I’ll bet you think

that the third

Prescription for Happiness

suggests that you

“turn up your love”

in order to be nice

to other people.

That’s not it.

You turn up your love

to be nice to yourself!

Can you see

that you’ve been making yourself

separate and unhappy

because you’ve kept

your love turned off—

toward yourself

and other people?

What do we mean by love?

Love isn’t kind acts

or gifts wrapped

with a bow on top—

although love may lead you

to do these things.

Love means

tearing down the separateness

and the boundaries

between your heart feelings

and another person.

Love is just

a feeling

of togetherness

and openness

in your heart.

Actually,

when you love someone

it means that

he or she

is putting you in touch

with a part of you

that you love

in yourself.

Conversely,

notice that when

you’re rejecting someone,

he or she

is only doing

what you would strongly reject

in yourself!

The world is your mirror. . . .

Love is a feeling of closeness,

of warmth,

of nonseparateness,

of understanding,

of togetherness—

of oneness.

Love is not a matter

of what happens in life.

It’s a matter

of what’s happening

in your heart.

Most people

aren’t very skillful

in loving.

They create difficulties

in loving themselves

and other people.

They think

that if they love someone,

they’ve got to like everything

the person says and does.

They think it means

they’re obligated

to do something.

They think love means

you can’t say “no”

to someone you love.

As a skillful lover

you can tell yourself

(and even others),

“Whether I like

what you do or say

has no effect on

whether I love you

or not.

”I don’t have to love

your actions—

it’s you I love.”

To whatever degree

you have strings

attached to your love,

you’re not really loving.

In other words

the game is to

“love everyone unconditionally—

including yourself.”

Always remember,

love is a heart feeling—

it is not what you say or do

although your feeling of love

will definitely

have an influence

on many of your actions.

When you get right down to it—

You love a person

because he or she

is there.

This is the only reason.

You don’t love people

because they desperately

want your love.

You don’t love people

because they need it.

You don’t love people

because they deserve it.

You don’t love people

because you want them

to love you.

(Some may not

allow themselves

to love you.)

You just love them—

because they’re there!

Notice that love doesn’t work

as a barter or an exchange.

“I’ll love you if you love me”

is usually ineffective.

Here’s what works perfectly

to increase your happiness:

“I’ll love you

no matter what you say or do.

I’ll love you always.

No strings.

No barter.

No exchange.

No bookkeeping.

My love just is—

because we are here.

I may not want

to be with you sometimes

because I don’t like

the roles that you play

in the soap opera of life.

But I’ll always love you.

I’ll always

have that

heart–to–heart feeling

that I create in me

when I think

of you.”

How do you increase

your feeling of love for people?

Hug them more often or

look into their eyes more deeply

to help you open up and experience

the human being that is there—

that is just trying,

skillfully or unskillfully,

to get his or her life

to work better.

Share with others

your most secret thoughts.

Experience everything

that everyone does or says

as though you had done or said it.

Help them in caring ways.

To love more deeply,

open your eyes to see and appreciate

the beauty that is in your own life.

Become more aware

(perhaps by making lists)

of the things that are lovable

about you and your world.

This will lead you automatically

into experiencing the beauty

and lovableness

of the people around you.

As you open your heart,

perhaps slowly at first,

you will soon discover

that people respond

by opening their hearts to you.

Before you know it

your love will be increasing

not as a word

or as another “should,”

but as a vital feeling

you create in your heart.

To increase your love

imagine that someone’s heart

is inside your heart

and that both hearts

resonate together.

Put yourself in his or her shoes

so that you can understand—

with both your mind

and your heart.

Understanding

with your heart

gives you emotional contact

with another person.

Understanding

with your mind

means to honor and accept

the value of the lessons

life is offering

the other person.

Wisdom

is the compassionate blend

of both the

heart and mind.

Now let’s look

at the second part

of the third prescription,

which says

to turn up your love

“even if you don’t get what you want.”

You don’t need this prescription

to turn up your love

when you get what you want.

It’s easy to love

when the sun is shining

and you’re getting your way!

You don’t need this book

to tell you how to be happy then.

To be a skillful lover

you must be able

to keep your own heart open

to another person

no matter what’s happening

in the soap opera

of your life.

You can throw someone

out of your melodrama.

BUT DON’T THROW HIM OR HER

OUT OF YOUR HEART!

What you’ve got to learn

if you want to create

a happy life

is to

turn up your love

even when you’re not

getting your way!*!#!

You’ll have to practice this.

It doesn’t come easily—

except with dogs.

Have you ever noticed

how often a dog

will wag its tail

and keep on loving you—

even if you don’t take it everywhere you go

or feed it on time?

A dog doesn’t withhold love

to control you.

If you can train yourself

to make your love

as unconditional

as that of most dogs,

you’ll have it made!

You really know this.

You just keep forgetting it.

Christ said, “Love one another.”

Love is a central theme

in every religion.

Our lives are set up

to give us a head start

with a big dose

of unconditional mother-love

when we first

come into the world.

Your life

can be successful,

wealthy,

prestigious

and influential.

But it won’t be enough.

You will not reach

your potential for happiness

unless you experience

a lot of love

for yourself and

for other human beings.

Love is more powerful

than all

the bombs on earth

put together.

Love can bring peace—

bombs will not.

People will do things freely

from the love in their hearts

that they would never do

without their love

no matter how much

you bribe

or threaten them.

All human beings

are either near

or distant relatives

to each other.

Our human–to–human love

that experiences all people

as “US”

is the only possible way

to bring peace,

harmony,

cooperativeness

and enjoyment of life

to the four billion people

on this earth.

We couldn’ t fight wars,

either personal

or international,

if we had

more love

in our hearts.

It’s easy to love

those who love you.

But are you skilllful enough

to keep your love

turned up in your heart

even when you think

that other people are

hating you,

ridiculing you,

downing you,

refusing to be with you

or are doing things

to hurt you?

If you develop a high level of skill

in keeping your love turned up

(even when you don’t get what you want),

you can elect yourself

a member of

the lovers’ club!

Don’t worry about whether

other people are loving you.

That’s their problem.

As you increase your skill

in living a happy life,

your ONLY concern

will be whether YOU are

loving other people.

You can learn to put your love

on automatic

regardless of whether

they reflect back

your love.

You can always create

your own experience of life

in a beautiful and enjoyable way

if you keep your love

turned on within you—

regardless of what

other people say or do.

So let’s go beyond ourselves.

We can learn

to turn up our love—

even when we don’t

get what we want.

We can extricate ourselves

from the clashing

separate identities

we are so valiantly defending.

We can free ourselves

from who we think we are

so that the beautiful beings

we are deep inside

can come out and play

with the other beautiful beings

around us.

We’ve got to convince

our egos

and our minds

that if we want

to live happy lives,

love

is

more

important

than

anything

else!

The Three Prescriptions

So now you’ve got all

Three Prescriptions for Happiness:

It takes skill and insight

to use these

Prescriptions for Happiness.

They’re not as easy

as taking a pill.

You have to work with

your desire systems,

your ego,

your selective memory,

your mental habits

and your illusions

of your pride and prestige.

For the rest of your life

you’ll need to work on yourself

using these prescriptions.

But it’s a lot easier

than all the misery

and unhappiness

you put yourself through

when you ignore these

Prescriptions for Happiness.

It may take you months

or even years

to acquire the skill

to use these guidelines.

You’ve got to learn

to use them

in your heavier life situations—

which is the time when

you need them most.

So try not to let yourself

get discouraged—

and for your happiness’ sake,

don’t ever give up!

You probably

won’t ever be able

to apply these prescriptions

perfectly.

You’re not addicted

to always meeting your models,

are you . . . ?

You don’t have to apply them perfectly.

The more you apply them,

the more you get the benefits.

Be content with more or less,

rather than all or none.

So now you’ve got it.

There’s only one person

in the world

that can really

make you happy.

There is only one person

in the world

that can really

make you unhappy.

How about

getting to know

this person

more deeply?

For starters,

go look

in the mirror

and smile

and say,

“Hello.”

And then tell yourself

that for a while

you’re going to quit

putting so much energy

into trying to change

the people around you.

It hasn’t worked

that well,

has it?

Instead,

you’re going to put your energy

into doing the inner work

on your own mind

that will enable you

to use these

Prescriptions for Happiness

skillfully and effectively

in your daily life.

Life goes by rapidly.

Don’t delay.

Don’t put it off.

Don’t wait until

you have some

spare time.

Don’t wait until

the time’s “right.”

Don’t let the mind that

you’re trying to retrain

talk you out of doing it!

Your mind’s

really good at this.

Your mind will come up

with lots of reasons

for not following

the Three Prescriptions.

Keep telling your mind

that you are determined

to do it!

Tell your mind

you want to live

a life characterized by

ENERGY,

INSIGHT,

PERCEPTIVENESS,

LOVE,

PEACE OF MIND,

JOY,

WISDOM,

AND A FEELING OF PURPOSE.

Ask your mind to help you.

It’s your friend, you know.

And if you’re determined,

it will give you

what you want.

Do you really want

to use the prescriptions

or do you

just want to want

to do it?

Don’t wait any longer

for the people around you

to make you happy.

Don’t wait for the world

to fit your models

closely enough

so you can create

the experience

of peace and enjoyment.

HAPPINESS IS A DO–IT–YOURSELF GAME!

And time is passing!

Loving more

and demanding less

are not only

the nicest things

you can do

for yourself.

They’re also

the most caring things

you can do

for the whole world!

These three prescriptions

are actually quite contagious.

The more you use them yourself,

the more the people around you

will use them—

even if you don’t tell them

about the prescriptions.

They’ll just pick them up.

And the children around you

will learn to use them

as automatically

as they absorb a language.

But here’s a

word of caution:

Don’t demand

that others use

these prescriptions.

Such demands

(even though you’re right!)

will only

decrease your happiness.

Let them learn

BY YOUR EXAMPLE—

and not by

your preaching.

It can’t be taught.

It has to be caught!

The effect of using the

Prescriptions for Happiness

will seem like

a miracle to you—

and perhaps to others.

Actually, miracles

are normal everyday events

for people who skillfully use

these principles

moment by moment

in their lives.

After all,

a miracle is something

you would like to have happen

that you didn’t expect.

The results

in your life

that you will get

by using the

Prescriptions for Happiness

may seem like miracles to you

because you’ve never tuned in

to the real power of love.

Love helps things

get rearranged,

harmonized and settled

without our bruising

or harming each other.

Be sure to memorize the

Prescriptions for Happiness

so they’ll be right there

when you need them:

1. Ask for what you want— but don’t demand it.

2. Accept whatever happens—for now.

3. Turn up your love— even if you don’t get what you want.

Don’t let life

catch you

without these prescriptions.

They’ll help you create

the happiest life

you can possibly have.

And remember,

you’re always

beautiful,

capable and

lovable

even if you don’t

always succeed

in using the

Three Prescriptions for Happiness.

I love you,