Foreword

Dennis McCafferty of USA Weekend Magazine

     "Your retirement savings is sliced in half. You're facing a prospective layoff. Your kids need braces, sports-team apparel and Wii consoles, and you have no idea where the money is going to come from. Meanwhile, you owe more on your mortgage than your home is worth.

     We've been through some rough-and-tumble times lately, haven't we? Most of what's happened is out of our control. But here's what we can control:

     We control the way we handle the punches. We can either let our spirits sink with each bad card, or rise above it.

     That's what J.P. Godsey - the Happiest Man in America - has to tell you. In this entertaining and reflective 13-chapter book, he shows us how going through life with an affirmative mindset can get us through the hard knocks. And we can expand our base of happiness by volunteering and getting out of the black hole of our existence by finding new, exciting challenges and social outlets. I know J.P. He is uniquely qualified for this, because, for a USA WEEKEND Magazine cover story, I discovered - through interviews and scientific testing - that he is indeed a uniquely content person who has captured the elusive essence of happiness.

     In reading J.P.'s words, I'm reminded of a great, old Mary Tyler Moore episode. Mary was in the ruts for the entire show. Nothing horrible had happened. She was just feeling rundown in the day-to-day routine of producing a TV news show.

     By the end of the episode, she tells the station's resident buffoon, anchorman Ted Baxter, about the source of her unhappiness. She says she does the same thing every day. (I'm paraphrasing from memory here.) "I get up. I brush my teeth. I walk outside and drive to work ..." Her delivery is a slow, flat monotone devoid of any pleasure.

      Ted listens attentively. And, for perhaps the only time in the entire history of the show, he presents a wise and wonderful perspective. He brightens up Mary's daily life by telling her that she's approaching her daily life from the wrong angle. (Again, I am going by my memory here.) "You need to GET UP!" he tells her, his smile and enthusiasm infectious. "Brush your teeth! Walk outside and DRIVE to work ..." She immediately realizes that she has to change from within herself - as opposed to changing her exterior activities - to reach happiness.

     J.P. Knows this, and can tell you how to get there. Happy reading!"