"You just think happy thoughts, they lift you into the air," Wendy tells Captain Hook in the 2003 movie adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic novel, 'Peter Pan'.

But Captain Hook has no happy thoughts, and therefore cannot get off the ground.

Canadian author Robin H-C, would probably tell Captain Hook to change his perspective. In her role as a personal effectiveness trainer, she believes you can't change the past but you can change your outlook.

It's a message she hopes to get across here next month, in a workshop and as she signs copies of her book, 'Thinking Your Way to Happy'.

"I work with people's patterns," said Ms H-C. "We have patterns in life that can interfere with our happiness. It is about our neurolinguistic programming.

"It is about breaking through things. Take weight loss, for example. Everyone knows how to lose weight. Many people want to lose weight, but there is something missing between knowledge and ability to achieve weight loss. I work with people to interrupt limiting patterns."

But Ms H-C admitted she hasn't always been a happy person.

"I have been someone who suffered a lot," she said. "I had become a victim to my choices in life. There were times I felt I didn't get the right parents, or the right opportunities. In reality I got exactly the right opportunities to evolve into who I am."

She said happiness was obtainable, but sometimes we had to train ourselves to obtain it.

One piece of advice she has for people is 'don't get stressed over things you can't change'.

"The average person can get into their car in a good mood, run into traffic and all of the sudden they have lost their power," she said. "Then they are upset and blaming the driver ahead.

"If someone comes up yelling and screaming at you, the natural response is to respond with the same emotion. It is something we do as humans. It takes training to run into upset people in life and not allow it to affect our own mood."

She is a big believer in physical fitness. "It is very hard to hold on to negative thoughts when we are physically active," she said. "If you go for a long walk or go running or play volleyball, all of a sudden the negative thoughts are diminished.

"You will find people who are active are generally more happy and able to deal with stress."

Recently, she had to put all her happy thoughts into gear to get herself lifted off the ground.

"I was on my way to Las Vegas, flying business class," she said. "They closed the kiosk one minute before I got there."

She said although a lot of people would have had a tantrum at that point or tried to blame the airlines, she resisted doing that. "I said I am going to believe there is some reason for it, and that reason will find me," she said.

The reason found her in the form of Bob Proctor, one of the founders of the multi-national company Proctor & Gamble. "I met him in the airport lounge," said Ms H-C. "He was in the movie 'The Secret'.

"I passed him a copy of my book, and he asked me to sign it. That was a life moment for me. I can't imagine that the flight would have been nearly as interesting."

Her book has been out since December 2008 and is designed for busy readers. "One of the things I have noticed is that the average person reads less than one book a year. I wanted to invest in something for people who are busy, and something that can make a difference."

Each page has a life principle and there is an inspiring quote underneath. You can flip open to any page. "I suggest to people to use it as a tool. See what they get."

She said publishing the book helped her to achieve one of her life's ambitions. "It has been an extraordinary experience," she said. "It takes discipline and commitment."

But she said there were times in life when it was impossible to be happy.

"There are times in life when we need to mourn," she said. "Unfortunately, death is something we really don't understand. It brings up a lot of questions we have about life and control."

She advised people mourning a loved one, to find support. "You need to express your emotions," she said. "You need to make sure you are feeding yourself properly and have healthy outlets to heal. But make sure the grief doesn't become part of your identity.

"Don't put pressure on yourself to be anywhere other than where you are at, but life is still going on. You still need to connect with the people who are alive."

Ms H-C will give a free workshop at the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce at 1 Point Pleasant Road in Hamilton on February 20 from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. called 'You Only Better'.

The workshop will include high-energy basic tips for having more happiness. It will be followed by a book signing.

For more information about Ms H-C visit www.thinkingyourwaytohappy.com.