Helen Mirren's top five rules for a happy life, reflected in a commencement address she delivered in 2017, came up on my social media feed yesterday, and it seemed fitting to share her wisdom today, on International Day of Happiness.

Rule #1: "Don't be in a rush to get married...and always give your partner the freedom and support to achieve their ambitions."

Rule #2: "Treat people just like people. Remember that every single person, whether they have dominion over your life or not, deserves equal respect and generosity." She added an addendum: "No matter what sex you are, be a feminist." She stated: "In every country and culture that I have visited, from Sweden to Uganda, from Singapore to Mali, it is very clear that when women are given respect and the ability and the freedom to pursue their personal dreams and ambitions, life improves for everyone."

Rule #3: "Ignore anyone who judges the way you look, especially if he or she is some anonymous creep lurking on the Internet. And if you are that person lurking on the Internet, stop it!"

Rule #4: "Don't be afraid of fear.... Throw caution to the winds. Look fear straightaway in its ugly face and barge forward. And when you get past it, turn around and give it a good, swift kick in the ass."

Rule #5: "Don't overcomplicate things...don't procrastinate.... You will experience both disaster and triumph, sometimes in the same day, but it is so important to remember that, like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever.... They both pass, and a new day arrives. So you just try to make that new day count."

I like Mirren's top five rules for a happy life. Like Mirren, I married my long-time partner in my 50s, and always enjoyed the freedom and support to pursue my ambitions. I strove to treat all people with respect (after all, who was I but a mere farm girl?). I identified as a feminist earlier, perhaps, than Mirren, but, of course, I was born a generation after her and benefited from the feminists who had come before me. I didn't always throw caution to the wind, but I did try to remind myself, as Susan Jeffers advised us in her 1987 book, to Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. I tried not to procrastinate and agree that life is simpler than we sometimes make it (love truly is the answer).

Of all her observations, I love this one the best: "like a hangover, neither triumphs nor disasters last forever." They both pass. It's up to us to make each day count.