We are almost ready to talk about the 40% category – deliberate activities. Remember that this is the category that offers us the best chance of increasing feelings of happiness. And please bear with me as I continue to stress that increasing happiness is a personal choice that needs to be made by each individual, based on his or her circumstances, needs, and desires. It can’t be something imposed by others, or a social expectation or pressure, or the litmus test of whether you’re a mentally healthy person. What I’ve encountered in a therapeutic context are statements like “things really are good in my life and I’m so grateful for so much, so I don’t get why I don’t feel in sync with this reality. I feel a heaviness or a blahness that weighs on me.” For statements like these – for these individuals, the first thing we’ll do is some investigating to make sure that their assessment of reality is accurate. And if it is, then we dive into the advice that we will learn about in the 40% category.