And I try to teach my heart not to want nothing it can't have.

I talk to myself a lot, standing in front the mirror. Celie, I say, happiness was just a trick in your case. Just cause you never had any before Shug, you thought it was time to have some, and that it was gon last. Even thought you had the trees with you. The whole earth. The stars. But look at you. When Shug left, happiness desert.

Now. Is this life or not? I be so calm. If she come, I be happy. If she don't, I be content. And then I figure this the lesson I was suppose to learn.

There's a lot of other things I can do that I speck God likes. Like what? I ast. Oh, she say. I can lay back and just admire stuff. Be happy. Have a good time.

If she come, I be happy. If she don't, I be content.

You can be happy where you are.

You may never get to that perfect world that you're waiting for where everything's going to be perfect and you got that much money and your house paid off.

That's why it is important to enjoy the journey not just the destination. In this world, we will never arrive at a place where everything is perfect and we have no more challenges. As admirable as setting goals and reaching them maybe, you can't get so focused on accomplishing your goals that you make the mistake of not enjoying where you are right now.

The marriage partner is not really the problem. No other person can ultimately make you happy. You must learn how to be happy within yourself.

Keep the right perspective Some people would love to have your problems. They would gladly trade places with you. They would love to have the job that frustrates you. They would love to sit in traffic in that car you don't like. They would love to have your husband, who gets on your nerves. They would love to live in the house you think is too small.

Too often we don't realize how great we have it until something is taken away.

You need to take back control of your happiness. Quit putting it in someone else's hands. Make up your mind that no matter what people do, no matter what they say, how they treat you, they're not going to steal your joy.