This time of year, we often hear the greeting "Happy Holidays." Are we really happy just because the holidays are here? Or is there a way to be happy all year long?

We are as happy as we decide to be. No one can tell us to be happy. Happiness is a state of mind.

Benjamin Franklin was concluding a moving speech on the guarantees of the Constitution when a heckler shouted out, "Aw, those words don't mean anything. Where's all the happiness you say it guarantees us?" Franklin smiled and calmly silenced his critic. "My friend, the Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."

That's why my friend Wally "Famous" Amos said, "Happiness is an inside job." By the way, Wally makes lots of people happy with his cookies!

I believe we were born to be happy. The happiest people I know are not the richest or most attractive or even the best at what they do. The happiest people are those who discover that what they should be doing and what they are doing are the same things.

That's because happiness doesn't come from just doing what you like - it's from liking what you do. True happiness lies in satisfaction, which has nothing at all to do with how much money you make or how many people report to you.

I recently received an email from a reader who wrote, "Happy people achieve better results and are typically more successful." I like to say: Make it your business to be happy and your business will be happy.

As a customer, you can surely tell the difference between a business that practices happiness and one that exists merely to make money. Businesses that are serious about succeeding find ways to make customers happy. Why do you think McDonald's sells Happy Meals? What makes Disneyland the "happiest place on earth"? Certainly, happiness hasn't hurt their bottom lines.

Mackay's Moral: Happiness can be thought, taught and caught - but not bought.

Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive." He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com, by emailing [email protected] or by writing him at MackayMitchell Envelope Co., 2100 Elm St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414.