Where people from the countries that have the most, feel like they have the least.

People that live in countries that have the most reason to be happy, seem to have the least amount of happiness.

Why is this?

Is it comparison?

Comparing ourselves to everyone who has more, in this social media world we live in?

Never feeling enough because another will always be better in some area?

"Comparison is the thief of joy."

Never compare yourself to others.

It doesn't matter how great you are.

If you are not grateful for who you are and what you have, you'll never be happy.

There's always going to be someone who has more money than you.

There will always be someone doing better than you, someone fitter than you, better looking than you.

If you are always comparing yourself, you'll always lose.

One thing other people will never have over you: They are not you.

Your greatest asset is that you are unique, and when you are free to be exactly as you are, that's the greatest way to live.

The less you care, the happier you'll be.

Unhappiness and depression comes when you focus on what you don't have.

Instead, if we appreciate what we do have and focus on where we do want to be, we can feel better almost instantly.

Appreciation and gratitude is the single most powerful way out of depression or any low states.

You cannot feel both deep gratitude and negativity at the same time.

If you can, you're not feeling the gratitude.

You might be saying you're grateful, but you couldn't be feeling it because science shows that gratitude and depression do not go together.

Another important principle that helps many who suffer with depression and anxieties, is this:

They are almost certainly, in every case, not depressed or suffering with anxiety 100% of the time.

They have selective depression, selective anxiety.

There are moments, even if they are brief of laughter, of feeling hopeful about the future, brief moments of happiness, of connection with others, brief moments of love and feeling good.

It's certainly not a conscious selection, rather something that comes about with triggers and from a lifetime of condition thoughts.

"I can only be happy if x y z occurs in my life."

Having rules like "I can only be happy if..." will always ensure unhappiness because life always throws challenges and obstacles your way.

Keeping this in mind, you then can understand on an intellectual level that depression and anxiety does not have to be permanent.

You can figure out why you feel down by learning about how your brain works, how your mind works, and you can direct it to something that feels much better long term.

Comparison is another big issue, especially these days with the increase in social media and the amazing revelation of filters.

Filters that make you look like a supermodel in one swipe but also the filters many apply to their lives,

like exaggerating everything in their life to make themselves look bigger and better and leaving out all the negative things that are really causing them pain.

The happiest people on earth do not compare themselves to others. Ever.

They run their own race, and they are happy for all others to run theirs, in their own time on their own way.

Happy people don't have the best of everything.

They make the best of everything.

Things will never work out as planned.

This is life, not a movie.

How you respond to how things work out will determine the quality of your life.

Let me ask you this.

Do you believe there has ever in the history of this world lived the human that was depressed beyond measure in a world of suffering, but still somehow managed to turn it around and create a life, not only amazing to him, but envied by others?

Of course there has.

The truth is the pain you feel when you are depressed is coming from your thoughts about your current life situation or situations.

Not the events, but your thoughts about the events.

Change your thoughts and you change your life.

Use the pain for a greater benefit.

The key principle in overcoming unhappiness and depression is not to focus on the depression.

That's what most people do and the reason it never goes away.

Instead, you should focus on where you want to be.

Focus on the feelings you want to feel, focus on the person you want to become, and work towards doing the things that you must do to become that person.

Feel how you would feel if everything in your life fell into place.

One of the fastest ways out of depression is to create a compelling future, a greater purpose for your life.

If you are genuinely excited for your future, you can't be miserable now and you can let go of anything that is in the past.

The thing that keeps one going is having a sense of future.

The thing that tears us down is not having one.

Set meaningful goals that get you working towards something that excites you.

Don't be attached to outcomes or gaining of material things,

but get excited about who you will become, how you will develop and who you will be able to help as a result of you creating this amazing life for yourself.

Who will benefit from you living a happier life?

Who will benefit from you being the example for others?