 Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds Gordon B Hinckley shares. Everything deteriorates and crumbles without effort, so achieving anything positive in life takes work, even if it's something seemingly uncomplicated, like finding happiness. Finding happiness might sound simple, yet it's not easy. The pursuit of happiness has been a quest for ages, so much so that people have identified success as attaining or finding happiness. Happiness like anything worthwhile and sustainable takes intentional moves and constant practice to cultivate. But here's the good news. Your happiness is your sole responsibility. The bad news is that you've also lost the excuse to blame your unhappiness on someone else. As Abraham Lincoln quoted, folks are usually about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Seeing that your happiness depends on you, here are 9 basic principles which you can use to find happiness. 1. Fine-tune your focus. It is easy to be negative, way too easy. The news, the sights and the sounds all tend to give reason to cringe and complain, worry, regret or cry. To maintain a positive mind and perspective requires a deliberate fine-tuning. There are ways with which you can keep a positive outlook in a cynical world. Ways like taking time out to count your blessings, taking short breaks daily to meditate on all that is right and beautiful in your life, trains your mind to focus on the right and the beautiful. It would also help for you to watch your thoughts and words and protect yourself from thinking or speaking negatively. Your words and thoughts are usually a reflection of what you've programmed into your mind. Stay conscious about what your mind soaks up as information, as it has a direct effect on your state of happiness or a lack of it. 2. Make a big deal about the small things. Life is a journey and not a destination and so you should celebrate your landmarks. You should celebrate those small wins, those little achievements and make sure that you pat yourself on the back for those few steps you have travelled. You see, those little achievements are what make up your whole life. If you're going to be happy with your life, it is necessary that you be satisfied with the little experiences which make it up. So you arrange your draw. Well done! You sorted through your email and the billion unread messages. Way to go! You finally got to visit that friend after months of postponing. Great job! Appreciating your efforts in striking these items off your to-do list gives you a sense of progress and achievement, which are vital ingredients of happiness. 3. Stay balanced. A life of balance is a prerequisite for a life of happiness, especially when it comes to work-life balance. You have bills to pay so you need to work, but you also have to build relationships, have a hobby, breathe and do all the other things which are not part of your work life. It is unhealthy to build your life around your job or business as it creates an unbalance which will create a vacuum yearning to be filled. If you would be happy, a balance is needed. Such balance keeps work, relationships, hobbies, health, finance and other areas of your life at the right level of importance and consideration. Stay balanced. 4. Be in the present. People tend to regret their past or worry about their future. Focusing on the past or the future will never cultivate happiness. History cannot be changed and it is in the present that the future gets built. To be happy, you have to live in the now. Forget yesterday, tomorrow is unknown, live today. Be present, do the next thing today. If you are in a place today, be there. Every second gone is part of your life gone, don't spend it on worry or regret. Roy Bennett supported this principle with these words. If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present. 5. Be creative. Another principle for happiness is the need for you to create something. Creativity comes from within, from the core of the individual. By being creative, you share a part of yourself with the world. Your creation could be a poem, a song, a photograph taken, a painting, a carving or a drawing. It could be anything as long as it's your creation and it comes from within. Your creation doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be original. When you're immersed in the creative process, you can reach deep within you where you can cultivate your happiness. 6. Spend on experiences and not things. No, I'm not telling you how to spend your money. But since we are talking about principles for finding happiness, you should spend more on experiences and less on material things. The satisfaction gotten from material things wane with time. With experiences, you build memories. Memories which you can treasure forever. Spend your money on travel. Surprise yourself by booking a vacation or go out to a nature park and enjoy the serenity. Attend that event you know will make you happy. Experience life and grow happiness. 7. Be a giver. The saying that givers never lack might be debatable, but there is no debate concerning the good feeling altruism gives. Science proves that giving reduces stress and blood pressure, and it is clear that giving makes the world a better place. When you can, give. Knowing that you are investing in someone else's happiness will help cultivate yours. 8. Listen and maybe dance to music. Good music raises the feel-good hormone dopamine in the brain, and that can make you happy. Dancing adds to the effect. All kinds of music are powerful, and so it is wise you pick the right ones, those that uplift your spirit and make you happy. Avoid those that sound depressing to you. The goal is to cultivate happiness and not fall into depression. 9. Live fully. We only get one life to live on earth, so live yours. Take that risk, leave that comfort zone. Don't be so fixated on perfection that you fail to do what you can or should. Live your life to the fullest, as therein lies part of your happiness. As the Dalai Lama said, happiness is not something ready-made, it comes from your actions. By living fully, you learn a lot more about yourself. You explore the world and do what you can to make your life better. You don't sit and wait for life to pass you by. You live out every second you breathe, and your life stays full and abundant. These principles are the basics, so you get to discover what makes you happy and build on them. Mahatma Gandhi said that happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. So in your pursuit of happiness, use these principles. Mind your words, mind your actions, and your thoughts, and you will find happiness.