To have a very good life there's a few things you don't need.

You don't need your situation to be perfect. If you're waiting for things to be just right it's more likely you'll miss those ideal moments. Many people exhaust all their energy in a tidying their tiny minutia instead of recklessly pursuing their hearts grand adventure. 

It's truly not the circumstances you find yourself in that makes your world work well rather it's the attitude you take to every situation. Those ideal moments are always moving and changing such that they're almost impossible to capture. If your attitude is positive and grateful for the situation that’s present you'll be ready willing and able to make the most of it. 

You don't need stress free constant happiness. If your not stressed in at least some small way then your not alive. If you're never unhappy with a situation then you can't discern, much less reach for the divine juxtaposition of joy. 

Happiness isn't defined by being comfortable. A life without challenges would be deadly and dull. Have you seen not seen deep sadness in the eyes of the once wild animals in the zoo? Equally we are not creatures to be corralled and confined behind safe wire walls.

You don't need other peoples approval. Requiring other peoples approval enslaves you to their agenda at the expense of your own. Your choices may not be popular, they might even be profoundly misunderstood, but they are always the right choice for you.

In addition to this people who seek approval generally don't find it. Instead they find their sycophantic obedience makes them such dull company that they become a burden to the leader they've latched onto.

You don't need loads of money. To assuage their anxiety many spend their life time amassing a misery of money and miss the value of their existence. To be sure it would be nice to have piles of cash but almost every thing your cash could buy would be frivolities that actually add nothing of real substance to your potential well being.  

If you think you need something outside of yourself to have a good life you're wrong. Regardless of your external circumstances you have everything you need to live well within you now.

Martin Hunter Jones is an honorary member of the Australian Counselling Association