It is not unusual to focus on and measure the size of your bank account. And some people get caught up in comparing their bank account to others, which in my humble opinion is never a good idea. How about this. How about spending some time focused on the size of your happiness account. What does that mean? Simply put, ask yourself how happy you are. The following is a list of questions to consider as you are beefing up your happiness account:

How is the quality of your relationships? This includes your spouse or significant other, close friends, your living community and your work mates.

Are you doing work that you love? Do you look forward to going to work each day or are you in the “I can’t wait for the weekend” category?

Is your happiness tied to external events? Are you counting on people, events and circumstances outside of yourself to make you happy? People, places and things may add to your happiness, but the ultimate responsibility for your happiness lies with you.

Do your get regular exercise, eat right and get plenty of sleep? You drive the bus on this. Exercise releases endorphins which induces feelings of pleasure. At the very least do a 30 minute walk each day. Consider that food is fuel for your body. Would you put bad or harmful fuel in your vehicle? Not likely because it would ruin the engine. The same goes for your body, clean and healthy eating produces an energetic body and clear mind. Finally, sleep is important. Lack of sleep can cause accidents, give you a foggy brain and contribute to serious health challenges.

Is your life well paced or rushed? If you often feel rushed then you must unload something from your schedule. There is no good outcome that will come out of operating in constant state of being rushed.

Do you appreciate what you do have or do you focus on what you don’t have? Gratitude changes the way you live and will contribute greatly to your happiness account.

Do you do unto yourself as you would have others to do unto you? A bit of a twist on the Golden Rule. If you are not kind to yourself it is difficult to expect others to be kind to you. Take good care of yourself and make sure that your self-talk is uplifting and not self-defeating.

There are two sides to every coin…you can either choose love or fear, positive or negative, it’s up to you. Choose well and when you don’t, take responsibility for it.

Birds of feather flock together. Are you surrounding yourself with happy people? If so, keep it up, if not then you must.

Do you smile a lot? Practice smiling. It makes a difference. It can change someone’s entire day for the better. Smile big and often.

Do you perform random acts of kindness? Contributing to others has a huge happiness effect and it adds great value to your happiness account.

Do you have something creative that you love to do? Whether it is painting, cooking, dancing or freelancing, get your creative on!

Do you practice being present? Dwelling on the past and worrying about the future is the cause of much angst in people’s lives. Instead focus on the now and enjoy squeezing the juice out of every moment.

So there you have it. Some questions and suggestions to get you started on creating and abundantly full and rich happiness account. Start now, this is a challenge that will make a huge difference in your life and in the process your bank account will probably grow too!