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Article
From The Delray Beach Times
May 10, 2006 |
| by:
Danielle M. Markel |
Ann Moliver Ruben moved to Delray Beach about five months ago to live near her friends. "People
need people," she said.
She said she believes people bring happiness to one another, which is why she has dedicated
her life to promoting happiness. She is so sure of this, in fact, that she's ending her practice
as a psychologist this month to devote all of her attention to her philosophy.
A few months ago, the 81-year old Ruben published her fifth book, "The Memoirs of a Happy
Psychologist."
"I didn't do it to make money. I did it to promote a philosophy of life," she said.
"Research shows that people who are happy live longer, they're healthier, and they have
the capacity to fully enjoy life."
She said she knows people are looking for happiness but aren't sure how to find it. She thinks
she has the key.
"I have love, give love and receive love," she said. "That's a really important
aspect of happiness."
Her focus turned to happiness in 2003, after she read "Authentic Happiness," by Martin
Seligman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. "It just clicked for me when I
read what he had to say about teaching people how to be happy," she said.
She decided she anted to accomplish the same thing in South Florida, where he has lived for
more than 30 years, and is interested in teaching locally.
A few months ago, Ruben taught a happiness workshop at Huntington Lakes, the community where
she lives. Fifteen people attended three sessions, and she plans to offer more.
"It gave me a good outlook on my elf-worth," said Linda Dragonetti, who took the workshop.
"I learned to live each day to look at the glass as half-full instead of half-empty."
Ruben encourages people to be proud of the good things they've done and to praise those who
have impacted them positively.
Ruben immediately tells workshop attendees to smile. "It's the most inexpensive way to
improve your look," she said.
She asks everybody to evaluate how happy they are, and explains that positive thoughts make
for a happy life.
She also believes people have the power to give positive messages to their thoughts.
This works for her. Ruben thinks happy thoughts before bed, she said, and always sleeps well.
Every day when she wakes up, she thanks God for another day. Happiness wasn't always Ruben's
passion. For years she was focused on promoting female leadership and created the company Women
are Wonderful. She asked 1,500 boys and girls if they wanted to be president when they grew
up. More girls than boys said yes, she said, which inspired her to write "How I Grew Up
Feeling How Someday I Could Be President of the United States of America" in 1993. The
book promotes the idea that a woman can be president.
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