I believe that the single most important key to happiness is….gratitude. It is true that happy people will focus on what they have but unhappy people will always focus on what is missing in their lives. They are forever unhappy with their lot in life. The grass is always greener and they will be envious of other people’s “good fortune.” Everyone is blessed but differently. If we do not count our blessings, we will always be unhappy with what we have and will always feel that we lack.
Gratitude goes hand in hand with mindfulness, which is the focus on the present and the appreciation of what we have now, instead of the desire of what we lack and the wanting of more. According to a well-known best selling author, “Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough.” Gratitude has been shown to physiologically evoke positive emotions such as joy and love, which counteract our natural tendancy to focus on the negative.
A great idea for reminding ourselves of our blessings is to keep an “Oodles of Gratitude Journal.” At the end of each day, write down in our journal about what we are grateful for and you will be surprised at what you have written down. Well, I am…for every morning, I am grateful that I am able to rise with each beautiful sunrise.
As I grow older and feel that time is against me, I am truly grateful that I have my health, that I have my relatives and friends who care for me. I think personal relationships in one’s life is important. I cannot stress that enough as I am grateful to have close people in my life with whom I can share with them the happy, sad and challenging times in the different stages of my life. Their support and friendship mean everything to me. I’m grateful that I have close people to travel and experience this beautiful world of ours together, to grow old with as it is no fun growing old alone. I am grateful for their constant support in my life. I am hopeful with each sunset for another productive and beautiful day tomorrow. Lastly, I am grateful to a kind, merciful, generous and loving God who loves me unconditionally even though I did not earn that love.