The meaning of life, its goal is joy. Feel joyous as you look at the sky, the sun, the stars, the grass, the trees, the animals, the people. And make sure that nothing spoils this joy. If the joy disappears, this means you made a mistake somewhere. You need to look for this mistake and correct it.

  – Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy is not one of my favorite writers but this statement is impossible to disagree with. Many people accept misery or, in the best of cases, lack of any strong emotions about their existence as the normal state of affairs while exultant joy and happiness are seen as rare aberrations. It shouldn’t be that way, though. If we possess the capacity to feel intensely happy, then this skill should be put to use as often as possible.