An e-mail from a fellow associate this past week seemed to make a lot of common sense in a time when it could appear least appropriate. With national unemployment nearing    10 percent and an economy struggling to emerge from recession, the focus on survival leaves little room to consider the role that happiness might play in your personal or company business plan.

As stated by Albert Schweitzer, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be more successful.” With Father’s Day approaching, I remember my Dad talking of tough times during the Depression. Another plate for the table, a song, a joke and times shared together brought many moments of happiness in the darkest of economic days.

I have applied a business narrative to six simple steps provided with Schweitzer’s quote to bring more happiness and ultimately more success to you and your business.

• Trust in yourself. Take inventory of you, talents and abilities and find ways to expand them in your association with peers and clients. Work from a position of strength, invest your time and energy in what you do best and ignore any perceived weaknesses that you believe are holding you back.

• Create a Vision. Create a specific written plan for what you wish to accomplish within a given time period. State measurable monthly, weekly and daily actions you can take that will give you added energy as you convert your vision to reality.

• Develop good habits. Commit to converting your bad habits to good ones in alignment with your vision and purpose. Doing so will bring greater happiness to you that will influence the attitude of your coworkers, friends and family.

• Show gratitude. Your level of happiness is often proportional to your level of gratitude. Find a quiet time each day to appreciate the simple gifts of life. Reflect on the good fortune of living in a country where we even have the opportunity to change our economic destiny. Find resources other than money that you can give to others.

• Risk change. No business has ever been successful without risk. Take in all known information, assess the alternatives and employ the courage to make a decision to move forward. Find small decisions you can make to alter your habit-driven life. Difficult economic times provide opportunities to change how you conduct your business.

• Take responsibility. Accept positively that your destiny is in your hands. Choose daily tasks that challenge your skills and energy. Recognize that you are defining the happiness and success of tomorrow by the actions your are taking today. Accept a greater workload and use this difficult economy to test your capacity.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychologist and author of “The How of Happiness,” provides a great summary of the link between happiness and success. “Happiness leads people to be more successful in different domains of their life. When you are in a positive mood, you’re more likely to be creative. Your manager is more likely to think highly of you, and it’s easier to obtain clients.” Best of all, happiness is a personal choice you can make — in good times or bad.

Charles Bogue is a broker with Coldwell Banker Brokers of the Valley in Napa. He can be reached at 258-5221 or e-mail: cbogue@cbnapavalley.com.