[Disclaimer: I’m assuming the readers of this are living in modern 21st century environments where their basic needs of food / shelter / safety etc are already met.]

1. Happiness really is a state of mind.
2. Depending on things to make you happy is going to lead eventually to disappointment.
3. Happiness depends experiences not things. It depends on what you think, not what you have. Things give you a short term buzz, that all too soon wears off and needs repeating by yet another short term hit.
4. Happiness needs to be internal, not external - it needs to be about feelings & experience, not stuff and status.
5. Happiness is what you make of life -  you can’t buy it, it won’t come with the latest gadget (that’s just a transient buzz), it won’t come from earning loads of money alone. 
6. It’s not about what hit you can put in your system, be that for example food, alcohol, drugs, gambling etc.
7. No, happiness comes from friends, it comes from time spent doing things you enjoy, it comes from health. Money will help, but acquiring money without these things will not bring you the joy you seek.
8.   Earning thousands, working 80 hour weeks whilst your health, family, relationships and pleasures fall apart won’t in the long run make you happy.
9. Pause, think about what really makes you happy - that new car or the love of someone close, that £1000 watch or having a few drinks with your pals, the enormous plasma screen TV or soaking in the bath after doing a 10K PB in the driving rain.
10. Decide that your happiness is up to you, it’s dependent on things you control not the external buzz of things you can buy.
11. Look for it, when does it happen - identify and then magnify those times.
12. At the end of the day you don’t rely on things to make you happy, just identify what really makes you be happy and do more of it.