Achieving Happiness:Here's how to take charge of your destiny

If your life were to turn out to be terrific, what would that look like?

When positive psychologists study people who are successful and satisfied with their life, they discover that those who are authentically happy have taken the time to determine a destination and a course of action that has led a valuable life.

The researchers found that people who are the happiest in their surveys develop a clear vision of a great life by focusing on their values. By determining what's most important to them, they're able to picture how they want their values to play out in their life.

People who are languishing in their...