If you are looking forward to being happy—and see happiness as the end result or at the end of an emotional finish line—think again. A lot of people think of happiness this way, but this is backward, says Robert Biswas-Diener, PhD, a life coach and coauthor of Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth (Wiley). Reason: People are so busy looking ahead that they miss all the times when they are happy in the moment. It’s better not to hope for a happiness ideal but instead to appreciate all the little ways that happiness creeps into your life, such as an unexpected hug from a child or streams of sunlight pouring into your kitchen. Hold onto those moments, and don’t forget to say to yourself, This is great. I’m happy right now.