Nice piece.
I have a similar approach to happiness - albeit slightly different. I stick to two principles:
1/ Always behave honestly and decently. Don’t be a dick (all the time). And as sone fictional character once said, do unto others as you would have others do unto you. I’m old enough to know that good behavior is always rewarded, whether it’s the next minute or the next decade.
2/ Don’t ever expect anything good to happen in life. If it doesn’t, well, no surprise. When it does - and it always does by virtue of rule #1, you’re amazed and you feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
With those two rules, I managed to pepper the world with very good friends, and I feel like my life is an unending lucky streak.
Aaaand… that was a derail 