"The secret of happiness is to count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles" - William Penn
I’m sure you must have come across people you instantly label happy-go-lucky? The stereotype isn’t all hypothetical, and such kinds of people aren’t hard to find either. People who never seem to be bowed down by worries or are not constantly cussing at everything from the rain to snow! So does that mean they have absolutely nothing to worry about? Where’s the secret pot of gold?
Let’s start with the idea of happiness- such a simple term but so wrongly used. Everyone knows that happiness is a state of mind, right? Wrong! Happiness is a state of a positive mind. Negative people can easily find faults in any happy situation, and positive people do exactly the opposite.
When you have a positive outlook in life, happiness will find a way. Since happiness isn’t dependant on a particular trigger, it is more of a personal choice. But even the most optimistic of us can find themselves in a rut where everything seems to be going against them.
I know of a gentleman who was going through a bitter divorce and had lost his job. To top it all, he nearly became broke and owed a few thousands in debt. I met him expecting to offer consolation, thinking he would (as expected in such a situation) cry, fret, carp, or worse turn to substance abuse. But instead, this guy was ready with a plan of action.
The first thing he tells me? ‘Isn’t it a beautiful day?’
Not only did he have his life from that time onward rationally planned out, he had already started implementing on the list. To say I was taken aback was an understatement, and I probably gave off the feeling for he, half-jokingly, asked me whether I was expecting to see him bawling his eyes out.
‘It’s all about adapting to the situation with a positive light buddy. I can’t change what’s already happen to me but I can change what will happen to me. I might not have a job or money to my name and my marriage is all but over but I do have a lot to be grateful for, each one of us do actually.”
And isn’t that true, look around yourselves in this very instant- don’t YOU have a lot to be grateful for?
"The secret of happiness is to count your blessings while others are adding up their troubles" - William Penn
Why should you count your blessings?
When you list down all the things that you feel privileged to possess and often take granted for, you will appreciate what you have. Whether it is good health, food on the table, good friends, a loving family, a paying job, or even a small reason to smile, we are not even aware of our blessing until we see someone craving for what we take for granted.
Focusing on appreciation will make it expand further and change your vibe to positive, which in turn have a profound influence on your mental and eventually on your physical health.
One of the best solutions to immediately de-stress is to count your blessings when you feel the world caving in. You can feel the instantaneous shift in your entire being.
How to count your blessings?
The most effective way is to write it down in a journal or better still put it on a paper and tap it somewhere where you can see this daily-preferably on your work desk or mirror.
It is important that you write it down instead of mentally ticking off your blessings because when you look at it staring back you from the paper, you sort of connect with it.
When it comes to writing down your blessings- are you going to limit it to your convertible in the garage or the Louboutins in the shoe rack? Actually, no you should try to keep the materialistic ‘blessings’ to a minimum and focus on more qualitative aspects.
Since our blessings are in abundance, we often tend to overlook basic blessings such as good health or even clean water for that matter of fact. Take some time out and try to figure what is it that you have and others don’t? Trust me your list will come out fairly longer.
Practice the Art of Gratitude
Lastly, it is important to wake up each morning thinking of your blessings and feeling grateful for each of them. You can also show your gratitude for people who feature on your blessings list or because of whom there is a blessing on your list, a small act of gratitude will be enough to light up their day and yours too!
“A good memory is one that can remember the day’s blessings and forget the day’s troubles”. So don’t forget to keep adding to the list!
Personally, one blessing that I am utterly grateful for is having finally been able to get over my anxiety issues. What are some blessings that you feel extremely grateful for, do share in the comments below!
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Hi! My name is Mulyadi Kurnia. I have started blogging since June 2011. Starting out as stress and anxiety management blog, the content of this blog has expanded to include other topics in the health and wellness sector; I have also created a free e-book “5 Key Tips to be a Happier You”, downloadable now at the blog Stop Stress and AnxietyThe post One Easily Overlooked Habit of Happy People appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement.