What is the fastest way to be happy right now? Be bold and focus on something you can be grateful for.
Why is gratefulness bold? Because it’s disruptive.
Most times, our goals are based on acquiring or achieving that which we don’t have. Makes complete sense. Why would we put so much effort into what we already have? But there is a trap here that can lead to all or nothing thinking. If we are constantly focusing on lack in one area, even with the good intention of filling the void, we can create the habit of seeing lack everywhere.
Gratefulness breaks that cycle.
I believe in being clear about what we want to achieve and focusing on it in a positive way. However, when balanced with gratitude for what we already have, even down to the smallest appreciation such as – I am breathing fresh air – the potential for success becomes even stronger.
Gratefulness is a state of ease that recognizes and welcomes the bounty of this moment. Everywhere and in every situation, there is something to be grateful about. We may have to be creative in our thinking and be willing to shift our perspectives in order to find it…but it’s there.
Gratitude is a decision. It is a way of perceiving the immediate circumstances and asking, “what is good about this?”
When we find the good, we find the happy.
There is no reason to wait for our goals to be attained in order to be happy. Meaningful goals are important. They drive us forward helping us to create and add value beyond what we could have ever imagined was possible.
But happiness is not a result of goal attainment. Happiness is a bold decision that is linked hand in hand with gratefulness.
Be bold and find something to be grateful for.
Be happy right now.
Jo-Aynne
5 Minute action item – Stop and pause this very moment. What is amazing about right now? There is something. Jot a down few lines about it. If you aren’t inspired by anything, have a look at 1000 Awesome Things, a blog written by a man who was desperate to find the good after he had lost his marriage and a close friend. He wrote everyday for 1000 workdays about something that was awesome. The blog turned his life around. It won best blog in the world two years in a row and turned into a series of books and a TED talk. That is the power of gratitude and appreciation.
