Once upon a time...

[glatt]

Contessa meets a wise man who tells her that people are happy when they are in control and feel competent to satisfy their needs and reach their goals.

She thinks about this and find it rather obvious, but upon further reflection, she realizes it covers everything nicely.

She had been working hard on these goals of hers for a while, and wasn't making much progress. She thinks that maybe if she focuses on different goals, she might find happiness that way. After all, a person starving in the desert has only one need to achieve happiness. If Contessa could convince herself to be happy just having food in her belly, a roof over her head, and clothes on her back, she would stand a much better chance of being happy.

She remembers the US President, Abraham Lincoln, who said that people can be as happy as they make up their minds to be. (She told you her education was good.) And she realizes that the old guy was actually right. You can "fool" yourself into being happy.

She resolved right then to be happy with her job. So many people around the world would love to have her job. What was wrong with her?! Why didn't she LOVE her job? Also, her current love interest was a decent enough guy. He had all his fingers and the other bits that mattered. He'd do for a while anyway.

Contessa was turning over a new leaf. She decided she would be happy. And she was.