feel that there is a particular way of thinking
that all but guarantees a joyful life. To me the secret to a happy and carefree life is maintaining an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE.  What does this world view mean? It means that everything is seen as being a gift. Depending on your spiritual perspective, that could mean from God, from The Creator, from The Universe, from Life, from Ancestral Lineage. In reality, life was given to you for free. It did not cost you a nickel to come into this world. If you are reading this, you are still alive. That which brought you into this world has fed you, clothed you, sheltered you, offered you a kaleidoscope of experiences, has kept your heart beating and lungs breathing to this very moment. (And since reading the last sentence, you have yet again received those same blessings). How often does your mind dwell on that?
When things are going "well," I am grateful for the comfort and pleasure. When things are "rough," I have no choice but to utilize my inner resources and evolve as a person. I am especially grateful for that opportunity. I have a stubborn belief that when all is said and done, I have been given a priceless gift that I did not even have to ask for. It is a gift that never stops giving, even for one moment.
It is very hard to feel like a failure or a victim when you constantly remind yourself that life is a wondrous gift, that you are taken care of, that you can learn something from every experience and that the possibilities, even in the next moment, are endless.