60 Second Recipe

My 60 second recipe for a happier life is to just start saying "Thank you God for another wonderful day." every morning. Do it every morning for at least 3 weeks - so it becomes a habit - and I ensure you feel positive results. Or double your money back!
This year [2000] I started saying this as a reminder that every day of life is precious, and I think this has greatly improved the quality of my life.
My attitude toward prayer is a lot like the Dalia Lama's. For me, prayers serve as reminders - in a prayer I remind myself how I should be. (However, since I am a very earthly and very busy person, I don't spend 4 hours a day in prayer as the Dalia Lama does.)
As time has gone by my list has grown. Below is my current morning prayer.
      1. Thank you God for another wonderful day.
      2. Today I will be positive and enthusiastic
      3. Today I will make the world better for myself and others
      4. Today I will be organized and follow my to do list.
      5. I am not through growing yet, and I'm allowed to make mistakes.
      6. Others are also allowed to make mistakes.
      7. Material things will not make me happier.
      8. Today I forgive all who have hurt others, themself and myself
      9. Today I will treat all living beings with compassion
      10. Today I will be happy with myself
      11. Today I dedicate my life to fighting hunger.
My list changes and grows all the time, as I refine it, and shape it as I am trying to slowly shape myself into a better person. I don't think that trying to become a better person is a bad goal, but perhaps the real benefit of always trying to become better is that it is less likely to slip into someone who is worse.
For example, I recently I added the line "Today I will be happy with myself." because I realize that a lot of the unhappiness in my life comes simply because I expect too  much out of myself sometimes. Also, it seems to me that it is the people who are never content with themselves who frequently make the world more miserable. (I work my butt off, and there is no reason for me not to be happy!) So I am going to do my best, to accept myself and my shortcomings, and just stay focused on my main goals.
So I encourage you to try this experiment. Start reminding yourself every morning that it is just a miracle that we exist in the first place, and we should enjoy this precious gift. As you think of things you want to remind yourself, begin adding to this list, but go slow. Don't make the list to big to fast. Think deeply about how you want to be, and what you would change if you could. It is a noble goal.