Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success, but it’s almost impossible to make others happy if you’re not happy yourself. With that in mind, here are nine small changes that you can make to your daily routine that will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:
衡量一个人是否成功的真正标准只有这个人是否幸福。让别人感到快乐幸福是个人成功的最高形式。不过，如果你自己不快乐的话，是很难做到让别人快乐的。记住这一点，以下提出的9条建议，会让你的生活马上变得快乐起来。
1. Start each day with expectation.
对每天都有期望
If there’s any big truth about life, it’s that it usually lives up to (or down to) your expectations. Therefore, when you rise from bed, make your first thought: "something wonderful is going to happen today." Guess what? You’re probably right.
如果生活真有所谓的真谛存在的话，那么就是对生活有点期望。当你早上起床的时候，第一件事就是去想：“今天会有好事发生。”猜猜看结果如何？很有可能你就能美梦成真。
2. Take time to plan and prioritize.
花时间计划，优先处理紧急事务
The most common source of stress is the perception that you’ve got too much work to do. Rather than obsess about it, pick one thing that, if you get it done today, will move you closer to your highest goal and purpose in life. Then do that first.
压力最通常的来源就是意识到自己有太多的事情要做。与其被堆积如山的事务缠身，不如从中挑选一件来做。挑选的标准就是，做完这件事，就会离你人生中的最高目标更进一步。挑选出了要做的事情之后，就把它放在首位去完成。
3. Give a gift to everyone you meet.
向每位遇到的人传递正能量
I’m not talking about a formal, wrapped-up present. Your gift can be your smile, a word of thanks or encouragement, a gesture of politeness, even a friendly nod. And never pass beggars without leaving them something. Peace of mind is worth the spare change.
我并不是要你去送一些包装精美的礼品。你的礼物可以是一个微笑，一句感谢或者鼓励的话，一个礼貌的动作，甚至只是善意的颔首。经过乞讨者时，留下些零钱吧。善良的心灵比零钱更值钱。
4. Deflect partisan conversations.
尽可能不谈及敏感话题
Arguments about politics and religion never have a "right" answer but they definitely get people all riled up over things they can’t control. When such topics surface, bow out by saying something like: "Thinking about that stuff makes my head hurt."
有关政治和宗教的话题永远没有正确答案，但却会让人心浮气躁，难以掌控谈话的局面。如果出现了这样的话题，就可以用一句“想到这些事情我就头疼”，礼貌地退出讨论。
5. Assume people have good intentions.
假设人们动机善良
Since you can’t read minds, you don’t really know the "why" behind the "what" that people do. Imputing evil motives to other people’s weird behaviors adds extra misery to life, while assuming good intentions leaves you open to reconciliation.
你没有读心术，所以你不会明白人们行为背后的真正含义。不要为他人怪异的举动注入不良的动机，这只会让生活更加愁云惨淡而已。反而假设人们的动机善良，会让你有更多的机会去与对方和解。
