The Apple Tree

One might ask, " Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees? "

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just ten seeds.
Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once." Laws of nature does not take things personally nor should we take them personally.
We just need to understand and work with them.

This might mean:
You'll talk to 50 people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea. You'll have more love-making sessions to get pregnant. You'll attend 20 interviews to get one job. You'll interview 40 people to find one good employee.
And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.

Just gaze upon the apple tree.
When we understand the " Law of the Seed ", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.

Application:
Successful people fail often. But they plant more seeds. Daring to try and fail.

*****
When things are beyond your control, here's something that you must not do so as to be happy:
You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave. You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be. Many times, such thoughts can bring you spiralling down into more unhappiness.

On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
Friends and acquaintances SHOULD return favours.
Co-workers/employers SHOULD appreciate you.
Buses/Trains/Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
Your husband/wife SHOULD remember your birthday.
Everyone SHOULD be honest/nice/polite.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen. So you end up frustrated and disappointed.There's a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, have preferences.For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself:
" I would prefer 'A' , but if 'B' happens, it's okay. "

You prefer that people are polite but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day.
You prefer sunshine, but if it rains, it is ok too!

To become happier, we need to:
a) Change our attitude.
b) Change our thinking.

It is easier to change our attitude/thinking than applying change in others and people in the world. As cliché as it goes : For the world to change, you must change first.

Application:
It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem.
It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness but rather how you think about what happens to you.