Welcome My Dear Friend, A Very Happy & Healthy New Year to You!

In the movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, Gandalf said to Frodo, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given." You have 365 days left to the year, because this is leap year and we start off with 366. It will be up to you to decided what days will be happy ones. If you have made the Happiness Decision than you can Choose Happiness for each and every one of those days. What will you decide with the days you are given?

I need a favor from you. If you have attended a Happiness Club Meeting or Happiness Training at Sacred Heart University. Please let me know how it helped you, why you came, what you liked about it, what you did not like. How it could be improved, what you were looking for, what benefited you, and any other information you could express. I would really appreciate this feedback from you. Aymee Branch a Ph.D. student has started a Happiness Club in San Francisco, CA. We need this information to run future Happiness Club Meetings across the county.

Happiness Empowerment to You!
PRACTICE HAPPINESS - LIVE RICHLY

Happiness is one of the most important things in your life. Happiness does wonders for your soul. I want you to practice "Premeditated Happiness." You should know that reading this newsletter will not just make your life better; it will make the world a better place because you have decided to be happy!

Happiness is an issue of power. We give our happiness to others for many reasons. Then we think that they make us unhappy. The truth is that we have given others the power over ourselves. We must take our power back in order to be happy again. Now is the time for you to learn to use happiness in dealing with challenges and difficult people in your life so you can develop the power to prevail.

Reminding you to make the "Happiness Decision." Letting you know about our meeting dates, giving you happiness information, and your latest copy of the Be Happy Zone Article's that are published every other Wednesday in the Fairfield Citizen-News. At the end of this newsletter you can read the latest article called: YOUR GIFT.

"Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility" - Oprah Winfrey
Think Smart, Look Smart, Be Smart...Be Happy! - Lionel

Happ-E-Mail:) A great friend, Aymee Branch, encouraged me to explore the "Club" and contact you. I really appreciate positive agendas, particularly "ones" with great possibilities. I work in an "inner city" public elementary school, as a counselor, and have had numerous opportunities to recognizes precious moments of happiness. As precious as these moments are, they could be more bountiful. I am mindful that- like the Dalai Lama states, in The Art of Happiness, "The more sophisticated your level of education and knowledge about what leads to happiness and what causes suffering, the more effective you will be in achieving happiness." I look forward to the further exchange of dialogue and information about the Happiness Club. Thanks, Dwight Washington, Ph.D.

Happ-E-Quote:) "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." - Albert Schweitzer

Happ-E-Mail:) Dear Mary, I just finished your book, Real World Guide to Happiness. http://www.hexagonblue.com I must tell you that it is a truly wonderful book. Your understanding of happiness and your life wisdom is an absolute treasure. I found the book very easy to read and well organized for looking up specific suggestions. You truly are a spiritual person who probably has learned a great deal from life. You learned it well and you do a wonderful job of sharing that wisdom from the heart. Congratulations on your book. I feel that we have become friends because your words ring in the truth and show us all the way to empower ourselves. A most Happy New Year! - Lionel

Hello Lionel, Your email was so nice. I am truly pleased you liked the book. I am receiving your newsletter and will put a link on our website to yours. I would love to collaborate in the future in some way. "Committed to improving the quality of life." Take care, Mary Jesse, author of Real World Guide to Happiness.

Happ-E-Quote:) "Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely." -Auguste Rodin

Happ-E-Mail:) Although at times it is trying to be upbeat, I always hear your voice in my head. Happiness is a choice. Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it. Happy smiles to you and your family, good health for the coming years, and remember that everyday in your life is fluid, some good, some bad, so don't get bogged down with the bad that you miss the good. There is so much goodness around us we need to just reach for the stars. I love you. Barbara

Happ-E-Quote:) "You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage - pleasantly, smilingly, non-apologetically - to say 'no' to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger 'yes' burning inside." - Stephen Covey

Happ-E-Mail:) Please sign me up for your happy newsletter! I'm just starting down my ‘journey to happiness’ and your website has given me a great start… I Look forward to reading your newsletters… Thanks and have a great day! Glen GableI

Happ-E-Quote:) "I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars." - Og Mandino

Happ-E-Mail:) It was so nice to hear about your most recent success, most notably the start of the TV show. I feel most confident that it will be well received by your audience. I fully expect that your impressive undertaking of spreading the wonders and the joys of happiness will continue to meet with enormous support. Your loving attitude towards people and your warm embrace of the positive side of life continues to impress all. If I can be of any help in promoting this, it would be my privilege to do so. Much continued success and a joyous holiday season to you and your family. Your friend and continued supporter of all your good work, Armen Kaladjian, Ph.D.

Happ-E-Quote:) "Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." - William Jennings Bryan

Happ-E-Mail:) I've been so occupied I didn't realize until I read your e-newsletter that you had a holiday party. I've been really involved in politics...I am now: Councilman, District 2, Trumbull. Anyway, I'll try to make it to your Jan. meeting. Have a great Xmas. Love, Jane Deyoe

Happ-E-Quote:) "What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?" -Robert Schuller

Happ-E-Mail:) I was so Happy to see you at the Happiness Club meeting at the Fairfield Library in November. I'm now reading the book you spoke about, "The Power of Now," and it is so true that many people are living in the past or the future. It's only now that we can experience happiness. You have been the biggest inspiration in my life. Keep up the great work. I hope to see you more often at the meetings. Keep up your great work! All the best in 2004! Cheers! - Tom Kingsley

Happ-E-Quote:) "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." Robert Collier

Happ-E-Mail:) I must admit I had my doubts about the happiness club, (how happy is that?) and that's why I went to my first meeting. Well, there is no doubt that you, Lionel, are truly a genuinely sincere and happy man, if there ever was one! Sharing with us and showing us that we can be happy just by knowing and using the ability we have for conscientiously making our own responsible choice is one of the best gifts we can receive and share lovingly and willingly for the rest of our lives. THANK YOU for reminding us that by living in the present moment we still have the free will to make that moment what we want it to be, and believe me, I've learned a lot about myself since those thoughts were presented at the first meeting. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. May God continue to bless you as you bless others in your own special way. Merry Christmas and all good blessings for the New Year! - Mary

Happ-E-Quote:) "Accept that you are where you are and what you are because of your own choices and decisions." - Brian Tracy

Happ-E-Mail:) I read your article on the happiness diet. You talk about being happy, yet you do not go into the mental steps to make that decision. If you are happy with yourself how does that prevent you from eating ice cream? That just seems like simple will power. - Brad

Happ-E-Quote:) "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Happ-E-Mail:) Thanks to the Happiness Club and the other members of the Basket Brigade, almost 200 needy families received complete Thanksgiving dinners to share with their families. How happy it made these families to be able to enjoy a holiday dinner like everyone else, together with their loved ones. Thank you to the Basket Brigade, whose members raise funds, purchase the dinner items, package the items and deliver each basket, right to the door of each family. On behalf of our client families, we are very grateful. Cheryl Burack, Coordinating Council For Children In Crisis, Inc.

Happ-E-Quote:) "Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?" -Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happ-E-Mail:) Your Happ-E-Newsletter is always the highlight of the month. - Charles Heinz

Happ-E-Quote:) "I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Happ-E-Mail:) I am the newcomer at your last meeting - It was wonderful, thank you! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Angie S. Altavilla

Happ-E-Quote:) "On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Happ-E-Mail:) May Xmas for you and your family be filled with great joy and love and 2004 be the best year ever!!!! See you in the new year...Kiaora, Dal...

The Happiness Show on TV:) Starting right now, you can watch "The Happiness Show," every Wednesday night, at 8:30 - 9:00 PM, starting on January 7th. Tune in and catch some happiness. Your CO-hosts will be Lionel Ketchian & George Ortega. It will be broadcast in these six towns on Cablevision of Connecticut channel 77. It airs in Bridgeport, Fairfield, Milford, Orange, Stratford and Woodbridge. It will also be on Cablevision in White Plains, New York on channel 76 every Thursday night, at 9:00 - 9:30 PM, starting on January 8th.

Happ-E-Quote:) "Truth has no special time of its own. Its hour is now? always." - Albert Schweitzer

HAPPINESS CLUB MEETING:) The presentation will be: THE HAPPINESS DIET, gain health and well being for the rest of the year, by Lionel Ketchian. I look forward to seeing you at our next meeting which will take place on Thursday, January 15, 2003, from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at Sullivan Independence Hall - Downstairs in the back. Just around the corner from the Library. The address is 725 Old Post Road, Fairfield, 06824. Meet some new friends and get yourself in a happy mood for the New Year. Admission is free.

Meet:) "A Happy New Year"
THE HAPPINESS DIET, gain health and well being for the rest of the year!
Date:) Thursday, January 15, 2003
Time:) 7:00 - 9:00 P.M.
Place:) Sullivan Independence Hall - Downstairs in the back.
Address:) 725 Old Post Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. Just around the corner from the Library.
Open to the public and admission is free. www.happinessclub.com.
Call Lionel Ketchian (203) 258-7777 or E-mail: PrintLRK@aol.com

Happ-E-Quote:) "For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe." - Anonymous

BE HAPPY ZONE
December 19, 2001

YOUR GIFT
By Lionel Ketchian

'Tis the season! I want to wish you the very best holidays and a very Happy New Year! In keeping with the season, I have a gift for you. The first thing about receiving a gift is that you have to know that someone has sent it to you. If you don't know someone sent you a gift or you can't find it, what good is it?

The universe has given this gift to you. It is the gift of Happiness. It is a gift because if you don't know you have it then you will not use it. The first thing you have to do with the gift of happiness is try it on, wear it from the inside out. Once you put it on, you will never want to leave without it. Happiness may not be that fashionable right now, but it is catching on quickly, and spreading fast.

The interesting thing about this gift is that if you don't use it then it is not worth anything, even if it has tremendous value. You have to know something is valuable to benefit from it. Happiness is one of the most valuable things in the world. Most people don't even know the value of happiness because they don't know what happiness is.

Happiness is mental health, and peace of mind, a great attitude, a positive vision, a contributor to good physical health, and a friendship magnet. Happiness is the foundation for love and compassion. Happiness has different meanings for different people, but it always possesses the same basic component, which is having gratitude for what you already have. Elie Wiesel has said: "When a person doesn't have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person can almost be defined by his or her attitude toward gratitude."

Happiness is not getting up in the morning and hoping you have a nice day. It is getting up and knowing you are going to make it a great day. It is not waiting to hear someone pay you a compliment so you can feel happy. It is treating people with respect no matter what they say. Happiness is being able to not take it personally so that you do not let yourself become disturbed and negatively affected by what other people think.

Happiness is meeting the "problems" of life head on with the tool bag of choices available to the happy individual. Happiness is not a thing. It is a state of mind. It is a decision that is made in one clear moment, which will positively impact the rest of your life. A good decision does more to create the best future for you than anything else can.

I made the "Happiness Decision" on December 24, 1991. I have practiced "being happy" since that time, and it has never let me down. I am not going into all the ways happiness works. That's what I normally write about in my regular articles. Happiness works, and the proof is that more books have been written on happiness in the last five years than ever before.

We have seen the very worst of mankind's thinking inflicted on us. At the same time we are experiencing the birth of real happiness. Still the choice remains, which will you choose. Will you choose happiness or unhappiness? You're always making that choice anyway. You may have been letting your emotions make the choice for you. It is now time to let your thinking determine the best decision it can make.

Decide to use your gift of being happy and choose happiness in every moment, over every obstacle and problem you encounter. You will become the most powerful person in the world, because you will have developed the power to gain the strength you need to have control over yourself. That is the authentic power of being happy.

How do you learn to use this gift of happiness that you posses? You can contact me to speak to your organization, or come to a Happiness Club meeting. There is no charge for the meetings. You can access The Happiness Club's website at www.HappinessClub.com and find out all about happiness and many great books that have been written on the subject right on our web site. While you are on the website you can enroll in the free Happ-E-Newsletter that is E-mailed to you every other week. You can send me an e-mail at PrintLRK@aol.com, with "subscribe" on the subject line, and you will start receiving the newsletter.

The greatest reason for using the gift of happiness is the fact that happiness is the opposite of fear. Believe me, you do not need fear to run your life. It is mankind's biggest problem. Happiness is powerful, try smiling at someone and you will see what I'm talking about.

Happiness is your present! This gift is your present! Use your gift and appreciate the present. Be grateful for your present, for it contains something wonderful inside. Open you're present and look inside. Do you see what I see? I see happiness! If you don't than you are not grateful for your present. Smile, you have been given more then you know, but if you don't use it you may lose it.

Old Fezziwig said to Scrooge: "When happiness shows up always find it a comfortable seat." Words from a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

LOVE AND JOY TO THE WORLD…. ESPECIALLY TO YOU!!!

Lionel Ketchian is the founder of the Happiness Club, a Happiness Coach, and can be reached at PrintLRK@aol.com. The website is www.HappinessClub.com.

Share a smile and forward this motivating Happ-E-Newsletter to your friends and family members you care about. Brighten their day by giving them a FREE Newsletter. Or, it's FREE, and easy to subscribe, just send your blank e-mail to happinessclub@aol.com, or subscribe online at: www.happinessclub.com.

Happiness is an inner state of well being. A state of well being that enables you to profit from your highest: thoughts, wisdom, intelligence, common sense, emotions, health, and spiritual values in your life. - Lionel Ketchian

Please feel free to forward this to anyone you desire. Please include the copyrights and credits due the authors.

Our mailing list and your name is never sold, traded, or given to anyone outside of our organization. You can smile about that!

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"Don't let go of the vine." - John Weissmuller, from the film, Tarzan.
Life is full of opportunities. Go For It! Carpe diem!

© Copyright 2004, Lionel R. Ketchian, all rights reserved.