If you are a track and field fan, you probably know all about the "Fosbury Flop," a story that tells a world of things about innovation, persistence and a burning desire to win.

Dick Fosbury was a good high jumper and he seemed to have reached the maximum height his body could clear. But he kept an open mind and began to experiment with every different way a body could be propelled over the bar.

The style he finally developed was different than anyone else had ever seen. The jump is done head first, with the flat of the back clearing the bar and then the knees are drawn up, jackknife fashion. When people first saw him do it, they went away shaking their heads.

But in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico, Dick Fosbury set a new Olympic high-jump record and won a gold medal for the United States. It was a triumph born of fresh thinking and dogged experimentation. Today, many of the world's best high jumpers base their jumping style on the Fosbury Flop.

"Business has only two functions," wrote management guru Peter Drucker, "marketing and innovation."

Innovation is what drives our great country. Look at all the great innovative companies, such as Bill Gates' Microsoft, Steve Jobs' Apple and Howard Schulz's Starbucks. These innovative leaders found a new or better way of doing something.

Domino's Pizza shocked the industry with the original idea of guaranteeing pizza delivery in 30 minutes or get $3 off.

Amway introduced multilevel marketing and turned a garage-based company with a quality product, unique packaging and distinctive labeling into a corporate giant.

Life Savers mints were a losing proposition until the company invented counter merchandising and the mints were prominently placed next to cash registers in convenience stores and restaurants.

Jeans pioneer Levi Strauss recognized the need for looser fitting, yet stylish casual pants and scored a big hit with Dockers slacks.

Other great companies have done similar innovative things. Look at Coke and all its combination of products in cans, plastic and glass bottles. Certainly no list of innovative companies would be complete without Google, Amazon or Facebook.

It's no wonder my good friend Denis Waitley says, "Innovators anticipate or create a need and fill it."

Innovations don't always come from big companies, though. I saw a study that listed 61 basic inventions, and only 16 were discovered by big companies. For example, Leo Gerstenzang thought of Q-Tips when he saw his wife trying to clean their children's ears with toothpicks and cotton balls. And Charles Strite invented the automatic toaster when a restaurant burnt his toast.

Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden changed the pace of the college basketball game by perfecting the fast break and won an unprecedented 10 NCAA championships in a 12-year period, many of which I attended. His teams made a lot of mistakes in honing their craft, but mistakes are the essence of innovation.

Innovation can be simply doing something different. For example, the National Bank of Detroit once offered its checking account customers $10 for every error they discovered. This marketing ploy in two months brought in 15,000 new accounts and more than $65 million in deposits.

Estee Lauder is credited with being the first company to offer a free gift with a purchase, helping the company grow substantially. Many companies now do this. That strategy sells an enormous amount of cosmetics.

The Hewlett-Packard Co. was famously founded in a one-car garage by William Hewlett and Dave Packard. It has become one of the world's most innovative and successful technology companies, but it's never lost sight of its founders' original vision. According to legend, these rules on innovation were posted in the garage:

-- Believe you can change the world.

-- Work quickly, keep the tools unlocked, work whenever.

-- Know when to work alone and when to work together.

-- Share -- tools, ideas. Trust your colleagues.

-- No politics. No bureaucracy. (These are ridiculous in a garage.)

-- The customer defines a job well done.

-- Radical ideas are not bad ideas.

-- Invent different ways of working.

-- Make a contribution every day. If it doesn't contribute, it doesn't leave the garage.

-- Believe that together we can do anything.

-- Invent.

Feel free to borrow these rules until you develop a set of your own. And then post them where you will see them every day. Be innovative!

Mackay's Moral: Maybe you can't change the whole world, but you can change your world.

This time of year, we often hear the greeting "Happy Holidays." Are we really happy just because the holidays are here? Or is there a way to be happy all year long?

We are as happy as we decide to be. No one can tell us to be happy. Happiness is a state of mind.

Benjamin Franklin was concluding a moving speech on the guarantees of the Constitution when a heckler shouted out, "Aw, those words don't mean anything. Where's all the happiness you say it guarantees us?" Franklin smiled and calmly silenced his critic. "My friend, the Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."

That's why my friend Wally "Famous" Amos said, "Happiness is an inside job." By the way, Wally makes lots of people happy with his cookies!

I believe we were born to be happy. The happiest people I know are not the richest or most attractive or even the best at what they do. The happiest people are those who discover that what they should be doing and what they are doing are the same things.

That's because happiness doesn't come from just doing what you like -- it's from liking what you do. True happiness lies in satisfaction, which has nothing at all to do with how much money you make or how many people report to you.

I recently received an email from a reader who wrote, "Happy people achieve better results and are typically more successful." I like to say: Make it your business to be happy and your business will be happy.

As a customer, you can surely tell the difference between a business that practices happiness and one that exists merely to make money. Businesses that are serious about succeeding find ways to make customers happy. Why do you think McDonald's sells Happy Meals? What makes Disneyland the "happiest place on earth"? Certainly, happiness hasn't hurt their bottom lines.

So where do you start on a path to happiness in business and life in general? Here are 10 commandments, inspired by "The Happiness Project" by Gretchen Rubin (Harper Collins, 2009), that might improve your outlook if you strive to follow them daily:

-- Take it easy.

-- Be yourself.

-- Handle your responsibilities.

-- Exercise understanding.

-- Face your fears.

-- Leave your worries behind.

-- Live honestly.

-- Behave positively.

-- Open your heart and mind.

-- Share your time, attention and talents with others.

There is an ancient Native American legend about a little-known tribe that was constantly at war with other tribes. They abused their religion and their families, had no morals or feelings for others and laughed at any kind of order. The violent tribe seemed doomed to wipe themselves off the face of the earth.

It troubled the old chief to see his people self-destruct, so he gathered a few of his trusted warriors and held a council to discuss how they could save their tribe from themselves. The wise chief decided the only thing to do was to take the secret of happiness and success away from those who abused it. They would hide it where no one would ever find it again, but where?

One man suggested they bury the secret of happiness and success deep in the earth. But the chief said, "No, for man will dig deep down in the earth and find it."

Another said to sink the secret into the dark depths of the deepest ocean. But again the chief replied, "No, man will learn to dive into the dark depth of the ocean and will find it."

A third thought they should take it to the top of the highest mountain and hide it there. But again the chief said, "No, man will eventually climb even the highest of mountains and find it."

Finally the old chief had the answer: "Here is what we will do with the secret of happiness and success. We will hide it deep inside of man himself, for he will never think to look for it there."

And the chief was correct. To this day, according to that old legend, people have been searching all over the earth -- digging, diving and climbing -- searching for something that they already possess within themselves.

Lucky for you, you now know the secret.

Mackay's Moral: Happiness can be thought, taught and caught -- but not bought.

Golfing great Arnold Palmer said: "My father always said to me, 'Remember, whatever game you play, 90 percent of success is from the shoulders up.'"

Palmer has never flaunted his success as a golfer or businessman. When I visited him a couple years ago in Latrobe, Pa., I learned that although he has won hundreds of trophies and awards, the only trophy in his office is a battered little cup that he got for his first professional win at the Canadian Open in 1955. There is also a framed plaque on the wall, which explains why he has been successful on and off the golf course. It reads:

"If you think you are beaten, you are.

"If you think you dare not, you don't.

"If you'd like to win but think you can't,

"It's almost certain you won't.

"Life's battles don't always go

"To the stronger or faster man,

"But sooner or later, the man who wins

"Is the man who thinks he can."

I later discovered that this was part of a longer poem written by C.W. Longenecker. It's all about mind over matter -- mental toughness.

We often hear the term mental toughness from athletes, coaches and sports commentators, but it translates to all aspects of life, especially business. Mental toughness is persevering through difficult circumstances. It is conditioning your mind to think confidently and being able to overcome frustration.

Athletes must be in tiptop physical shape, but if they don't prepare themselves just as much mentally, they will never become champions.

Serena Williams, like other top tennis players, uses her mental strength to succeed. She uses power thoughts during her matches and reviews them on changeovers, which helps her focus and get her game back on track if necessary. Her power thoughts include: "My good thoughts are powerful." "My only negative thoughts are weak." "Hang on to the thought of what you want. Make it absolutely clear." "You are No. 1." "You are the best." "You will win."

Dr. Jim Loehr of the Human Performance Institute defined mental toughness in his book "The New Toughness Training for Sports" as "the ability to consistently perform towards the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances." He went on to add: "Mental toughness is all about improving your mind so that it's always on your side; not sometimes helping you nor working against you as we all know it's quite capable of doing."

Mental toughness is like a muscle. It needs to be exercised to grow and develop. You must get out of your comfort zone by taking on new tasks. As your comfort zone expands, seek out other duties to test your determination. You will soon discover that there is almost nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it. It's truly mind over matter.

Dr. David Yukelson from Penn State University lists the key characteristics associated with mentally tough elite athletes as:

-- Self-Belief: Having an unshakable belief in one's ability to achieve competition goals.

-- Motivation: Having an insatiable desire and internalized motivation to succeed.

-- Focus: Remain fully focused on the task at hand in the face of distractions.

-- Composure/handling pressure: Ability to regain psychological control and to thrive on pressure.

But in my opinion, those characteristics translate seamlessly for businesspeople in every discipline. If your mind isn't prepared to take on the challenges that constantly arise in business, you are doomed to fail. It's that simple.

Three cowboys had been riding the range in New Mexico since dawn. Busy with the herd of cattle they were tending, there had been no time to stop and eat. As the day wore on, two of the cowboys started talking about how hungry they were and about the huge meal they were going to eat after the day's work was done.

All they talked about was food. Finally, they asked the third cowboy if he was hungry. He just shrugged his shoulders and said, "No."

At sundown, the three cowboys rode into town and ordered the biggest steak dinners at the local restaurant. The three of them ate every last morsel. One of the trio reminded the third cowboy that less than an hour earlier he had told them he was not hungry.

"Not wise to be hungry then," he replied. "No food."

Mackay's Moral: Life is 10 percent how you make it and 90 percent how you take it.