Today's Marketing Cookie - Create Happiness

Today's fortune came from Margherita (Petti) Krug of Albany, NY.  Margherita is the General Manager at Cotton Hill Studios, a full service audio production facility specializing in audio for radio and television advertising. She also serves on the board of directors for the Albany chapter of the American Marketing Association. People who have worked with her offer three words about Margherita: professional, creative and organized. You should follow her on Twitter: @margheritakrug

Today's Marketing Cookie is an important secret to being happy in your life, your marriage and in your career. It's true. You'll notice that I did not say, "getting happiness" or "obtaining happiness". I said "being happy", which is not something to strive for in the future and it is not a place to reach one day. The word "being" can only exist in the present tense and you have absolute control over how you want to "be" right now.

Go ahead and try it. Be happy for three seconds. I'll wait...

Did it work? Did you feel it? Were you able to be happy? You have the power within you to be whatever you choose. You can choose to be disappointed, empathetic, angry, skeptical, lonely, and yes, even happy. You simply have to choose it.

While there are many things that have a good chance of giving us happiness, such as a great meal, that new car smell, or a bonus check, they are not powerful enough to maintain your happy attitude. Only you can choose how you want to be in any given moment. It is a choice. When that great meal was placed in front of you, will you choose to be happy or will you start counting calories and choose to feel guilty? When you get that fantastic new car, will you sit in it being happy about the new car smell, or will you choose to be bummed out about your car payment? When you get your bonus check, will you be happy, or will you choose to be grouchy about how much they took out for taxes? These are all choices.

When dealing with customers, we have an opportunity to help them be happy too. If they are filing a complaint, they are already unhappy and disappointed. However, depending on how we choose to be, we can actually help them be happy again. We can respond to a negative Facebook post with dignity and respect, or we can choose to be argumentative. We can be apologetic for the mistake that the company has made, or we can choose to be defensive. When people see how you are being with them, they can, in an instant choose how they want to be with you. If you have good "people skills", you already know what I am talking about.

I've learned that happiness is available to me at any moment. It is also available to me in every moment.

One morning I was driving about seventy miles per hour on the highway, when I came upon some type of traffic jam. The traffic was slowing so I pushed the brake pedal all the way to the floor. Suddenly, the dashboard turned red, my emergency flashers automatically started blinking and there were NO BRAKES whatsoever. I pulled up the emergency brake as far as it would go, but to little effect.

Initially, there wasn't any way to get over into the breakdown lane, and so I blared the horn and people moved over enough for me to drive between lanes, the way motorcyclists do in a traffic jam. Don't ask me how I fit. I continued swerving between cars, made my way into the breakdown lane, and then it took me almost two miles to finally come to a complete stop. Whew!

At first I was relieved to still be alive. A very short time later however, I started to be angry. I was angry with Mercedes. How could they make a car that can completely loses it's brakes!? How could they make such a heavy car with such a wimpy emergency brake!? Then, I was angry with the garage that works on my car on a regular basis. Why didn't they check my brakes!? Then, I was angry with AAA for putting me on hold.  How could they put someone on hold who has almost just died!? My neck was starting to turn red and so I pulled the emergency brake on my attitude.

In that moment, I chose to be grateful again. No one was hurt. I would see my wife and kids again. Cars just break sometimes. AAA will get to me as soon as they can. I thought about how much I have to be grateful for and I chose to be happy. I chose it and happiness appeared. Happiness came to me, right there, on the side of the highway. As today's fortune says, "Don't pursue happiness - create it."