My big "double-aha" moment came while anchoring the national news at CBS News. It was at the height of the recession, and on top of the usual negative stories, my newscasts became full of especially heart wrenching stories of people losing their homes, jobs, and retirement savings. Starting the morning off like that could leave even the most optimistic person feeling helpless and hopeless. The lightning bolt came when we changed how we talked about the negative.

We are all constantly transmitting information to the people around us, and the messages we choose to communicate either create success or hold us all hold back.

Even five minute meaningful conversations with other people not only fuel us in the moment but also build up a reserve of social capital so that when hard times strike, we can draw down on that bank account.

When someone comes to you to talk about a problem, if you move the conversation on to a discussion of potential solutions, you fuel their creative problem solving abilities on average by 20% - not to mention you make them feel better! You make them smarter and more empowered to tackle challenges.

There is no greater prediction in the research of our levels of happiness than the breadth and depth of our relationships.

I try to only vent when I really need to process something, and let the rest go.

Following celebrities or people you don't regularly see in person often doesn't add to our happiness. The best use of social media is to deepen existing close relationships or create new ones.