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Jim Donovan Success Interview

We're here today with author Jim Donovan, who's book, Handbook to a Happier Life promises to be your guide to create the life you've always wanted and to show you how to have a happier life.

Thoreau said that the mass of men lead lives of a quite desperation. The sad truth is that the majority of graduates coming out of America's colleges this June will go on to lead lives of quiet desperation.

They will never quite live the life that they want to live at this point for a very simple reason, they were never taught to plan for their future or to set goals and set plans for their accomplishments.

Q. Why aren't more people happier in their lives?

A. They don't take responsibility; they don't have goals, a vision, or direction. They go through life on autopilot and have lack of focus. They look at what is missing instead of what is working. Focusing on what you have, you will start to feel better; you will attract more of what you focus on.

Q. How can people use Handbook to a Happier Life in their daily life?

A. Great question. Take a mini chapter, only one or two pages and read it each day and apply these ideas to your life. For example, one day you might work with the idea of "Change," another, the concept of "Gratitude" or "Commitment." By reading a short mini-chapter each day, you can maintain your positive focus while using your own ideas to make your life happier.

Q. You choose the title Handbook to a Happier Life, instead of Handbook to Happiness or something like that, why?

A. Because you can be happy anytime you want, just focus on things that make you feel happy. However, having a happier life long term, takes a little more effort. You need to follow certain guidelines most of which have been talked about for thousands of years. I've just taken that and simplified it so people can apply it.

Q. Why are goals so important?

A. Because if you don't set goals you'll never know your potential, you'll never know how far you can go. How will you know where you are going or when you get there? If you don't set goals your running your life on autopilot, your like a piece of drift wood bouncing which ever way the wind and the waves takes it. It always amazes me that people go on vacation with more pre-planning than they live their lives.

Q. Looking at Handbook to a Happier Life, some people might say, this is pretty simple stuff. What do you say to that?

A. Of course, life is simple. You don't need a PhD to get through your day or to have a happy fulfilling life. Being happier or more successful is a matter of practicing some simple ideas and techniques over and over. It's more a matter of feeding your mind positive ideas on a daily basis than learning a bunch of stuff.

Q. Do you practice these principals in your own life?

A. Yes, daily. That's how I took my life from living in quiet deprecation in being down and out, at the bottom on welfare, collecting food stamps, etc., to living what I consider to be my dream life today.

Q. I noticed you don't have a lot of letters after your name.

A. Right again. While I believe education is terrific, you can make your life what you want it to be by following simple principals. I have a Ph.D. in life experience, I walk my talk, and I've done what I write about.