This Way to Happiness

Script:

I recently had the great classicist and military historian Victor Davis Hanson on my YouTube show, The Saad Truth.

Victor ended our conversation with the following: “It’s so nice to see an academic who smiles. I don’t do it enough, but you do.”

His comment moved me deeply. Sure, my positive demeanor is partly my nature. But, like everyone else, I've had my share of misfortune and disappointment. I grew up literally in the middle of a war zone in Beirut, Lebanon. I had a promising future as a soccer player kicked out from under me by a devastating injury. I’ve lost coveted teaching positions because of my iconoclastic political views. The list of personal setbacks is very long. So, I’m sure, is yours. That’s just the way it is. And we all know it.

But I refuse to let life beat me down. I don’t want to be unhappy five minutes longer than necessary. Life is too precious and too short. To that end, I’ve given the subject of happiness a lot of thought.

Here are seven ways to maximize your happiness.

One: Find the right spouse

The most important person in life is your spouse, so choose wisely. He or she is also the person you are going to spend the most time with. This is why liking your spouse is even more important than loving them, although thankfully the two usually go together. Spending time with someone with whom you share values, who is your best friend, is bliss. Spending time with someone who doesn’t share your values is torture. Navigating relationships, even the best ones, is a tricky business. So, approach your marriage with humility. You’re not perfect and