The Post-College Guide to Happiness

The world can be a bit negative sometimes, which is kind of like saying rain is wet. Smiles have been replaced by cell phones and cynical is the new normal. The pursuit of happiness has been changed into the pursuit of dollars and in a tough economic climate, it's a race most of us are losing. Comedian and author Bryan Cohen thinks that it's time to remember what happiness is all about. He believes that normal people like you without diamond wearing Chihuahuas can still be happy with a few changes to your attitude, your beliefs and a short training routine to build up your joy.

Cohen has laid out 35 exercises that you can use to create a happiness workout plan to help you in the following areas:

• Keeping your negative thoughts at bay and learning to control your emotions

• Finding things to like about the job you hate and how to quit it to start a job you love

• Loving the one you're with and strengthening your family's happiest memories

• Learning more about yourself and what you're good at without requiring a masters degree

• Embracing silence in a world overrun by digital doohickeys

• Finding time and energy to embrace your creative side and live your dreams

• Making your beliefs inclusive and turning to spirituality for health and wealth

Whether you're just graduating from college or headed into retirement age, The Post-College Guide to Happiness will help you turn that pessimism upside down and put you back on the path to a happier life. After years of joyous research, Cohen has found the most effective happiness boosters from all sorts of places, including business books, self-help audio programs, autobiographies, spiritual classics and even his experiences to get you out of your funk for good. If you've had no luck looking for happiness in all the wrong places, pick up this book and learn how to look forward to life again.

Bryan Cohen is a comedian and an author of several books, including 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts: Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More and Writer on the Side: How to Write Your Book Around Your 9 to 5 Job. Cohen has been giving people happiness advice since middle school and he hopes this book will spread that advice to the world slightly beyond the lunchroom. He lives in Chicago.