Having a happy life is simple to understand, but not necessarily simple to achieve.

Here’s list of secrets that many people know, but often overlook:

1. Build a proper foundation before putting up a house. Take time to strengthen your personal foundation and accomplishments will be much easier.

2. Develop a level of spirituality and decide what that means to you.

3. Find a way to invite more love into your life.

4. Be grateful for today’s blessing rather than dwell on those things that you have yet to acquire. Today is perfect—embrace it.

5. When choosing your fuel, be hands-on. Only you can choose the type of energy that fuels your life.

6. Continuously learn. Choose how and how often you want to learn and stick with it on a weekly basis. Learning is evolution.

7. Use your gifts wisely and orient your life around those gifts in a way that will help you progress each and every day.

8. Understand your vision and allow it to light the way for the goals and path for your life.

9. Take time to learn and expand your vocabulary. Communication is the key to success. Speak up and understand what is worth saying.

10. Become comfortable with chaos as it is comfortable with you.

11. Remember that integrity comes first, followed by needs, and then wants. Do what needs to be done now so you can do what you want to do later.

12. In order to create the future you want, it’s crucial to resolve problems in the past while perfecting the present. Do the thing and the reward will follow.

13. In order to live effortlessly, get more than you need and disregard how much you feel that you deserve.

14. Take time to plan by using 10 percent of your time to work on the other 90 percent. While it doesn’t always feel true, your life is in your hands.

15. Always set goals using personal virtues. Disregard all the woulda-coulda-shoulda wants and do while others only dream.

16. Work towards financial independence despite how far away it seems. Every journey, despite the length, begins with a single step.

17. Rather than changing a poor behavior, learn to evolve. Many diets fail, for example, because cold turkey is often linked with failure.

18. Increase personal boundaries in order to give room for your heart and spirit to run free.

19. Rather than waiting, learn to initiate. Waiting on others will often result in a lack of productivity. Instead, lead your own way.

20. When a problem arises, be the one to solve it, despite who started it.

21. Live in a community of like-minded individuals. Find others who you can help and allow them to bring out the best in you.