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Chapter 8Be 5 Percent Happier

I have a close friend whom I have worked with, owned businesses with, and now employ who was forced to change his attitude ever so slightly. But how he was forced is something most people want to avoid. My friend is extremely smart, charismatic, witty, and a good guy to talk to. But a few years ago, when his business was on the rise, he began to get caught up in the ascension by drinking too much and doing drugs. He had everything: a $100,000 Range Rover for his girlfriend and a 750 BMW for himself, two houses, and the ability to do anything he wanted. He became caught up in the materialistic part of success and wasn't paying attention to his business or his own personal set of values.

Prior to this, he was never really someone who cared that much about flashy cars or weekend trips to Paris. He was very simple, had a good sense of what he needed, and was happy to have the things he had. But somehow it all went to his head and he got caught up in everything that really didn't matter. All that led to a whole lot of bad things. During his business growth, his personal life was crashing. He got arrested twice for driving under the influence, and the second time he had so many drugs on him, some of them most people never even heard of! Finally, he was sent to jail.

It was in jail where his attitude had to change or he wouldn't have survived. He did, little by little each day he was in there, reminding himself what was really important in life. From the ...