The idea of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been receiving increasing attention. There’s a reason for this: long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness in generating a feeling of well-being, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

But while we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.

Gratitude balances us and gives us hope

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being.

There are many things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What’s on your list?

Six Ways to Practice Gratitude

• Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
• Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.
• Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.
• Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.
• When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.
• Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.

As you practice gratitude, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.

by Barbra Sundquist from Bio Templates

The word “joy” is different than the word  “like”. For example, I may like lilacs, but inhaling the scent of the first dark purple lilac in spring is pure joy. You may like chocolate ice cream, but it takes eating it to make it a truly joyful experience.
What about stop lights? If you’re anything like me, green lights while driving bring joy, red not so joyful. What I try to do is think about something from my TRULY JOYFUL list while waiting for the red light. That way the potentially frustrating red-light minutes are quickly replaced with a smile and less tension.

To make a TRULY JOYFUL list, page through a magazine until you discover a photo, article or word that jumps off the page for you. Put your selections directly on pages in a notebook of your choice. Congratulations! You have a TRULY JOYFUL list to use as a handy, quick refresher or a source of creativity. Enjoy!

by Susan M. Korb, Life Coach

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It takes courage to create a life of authentic happiness. If you are not living a life of authentic happiness – a life of joy, gratitude and peace – then you are not creating a life that fully supports you to the highest degree.

Happiness is being in love with life

So how does one describe authentic happiness – that state of joy, gratitude and peace? My answer to that would be that it is like being in love with life. Being so grateful that you are alive, and feeling so passionate about life. It is being in total acceptance of the self and in love with yourself so much so, that the love overflows and pours out to others. That is authentic happiness.

When we are in a state of joy and peace, we are also in a state of gratitude for all of life’s experiences, regardless of whether they were good or bad, because even the bad taught us a lesson. Even financial problems can be viewed as a learning experience. Perhaps we get good advice from a friend, coach or online resource such as lovemoney.com that we successfully apply. Whatever the lesson, the word “life” itself can be looked at as an acronym for “Learn It From Experience”. We can appreciate that the negative experiences have shown us what we don’t want, and be grateful for that revelation.

It’s difficult to see the picture when you are inside the frame

Authentic happiness: achieving this state is easier said than done, especially if there is a tendency to dwell in past experiences.  Authentic happiness: the future is the past healed because when the past is not healed, the future is dictated by that past. If we are to find joy and peace, then it is necessary to heal past negative emotions. However, before we heal, we have to deal with all that our mind holds as negative emotions.

The key is to be in the “now”

Since emotions are energy in motion, then the key to joy is not to resist any painful emotions, but to look at them only as experiences. When a painful memory surfaces, look around you and notice what you see, be it a tree, a car, or a building that is in your now moment. Then take the time to acknowledge that memory, and give yourself compassion. Embrace and feel it fully, and finally, allow the energy of that experience to be released. The more we can do this, the more we will be connected to life in the now moment…the essence of authentic happiness.

Most people are as happy as they choose to be

My favorite mantra which immediately brings me back to the now moment is, “We are here, we are fine, and we are fabulous”. I use the word “we” to mean the totality of ourselves – body, mind, and spirit. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “Most folks are as happy as they decide to be“. That’s the key to authentic happiness!

Lisa Lorenzon
Yoga Teacher and Life Coach

This story is about how to find happiness, but it begins in a strange way.
In 1981, I tackled what for me was the most challenging walk possible. Known as the Fellsman Hike, this trek is in the sparsely populated Yorkshire Dales region of England. On this occasion (I had attempted it before with companions, but had failed to finish) I travelled up with my family, who camped nearby while I did the walk.

It started in Ingleton and finished at Threshfield, but the route was far from a straight line. With the exception of about two miles of hilly road walking around the village of Dent, we walked on rough countryside all the way, a total of 62 miles, to be completed in 24 hours. We started at noon, aiming to finish before noon the following day. There were about 400 of us at the start.

From the very start, we climbed Ingleborough (over 2,000 feet). We then descended and went up Whernside (also over 2,000 feet). The rest of the walk that day was at high levels most of the time, though there were no more peaks to compare with the first two.

Just before night fall, we were forced to make teams of six, time being deducted for those who had to wait for a team to be made up. This was for safety reasons. I recall that we climbed a steep hill together and then arrived at the infamous Fleet Moss, one square mile of peat bog. It was now dark, so we encountered this awful place under torch light. It took an age to cross, and the night weather deteriorated into cold and wind.

On the far side of Fleet Moss, we came across an even worse place, from the point of view of navigation. At least the route across the bog had been straight and followed a fence, but now we were trying to weave a path between areas of higher land, and the terrain was tiring in the extreme. There was no discernible path to follow either. By now it was well past midnight and I felt that I was walking like a Zombie. After hours of searching, we came across the check-point that we were seeking, and dawn began to break. We soldiered on, our spirits rising.

I recall trudging up Buckden Pike and being forced to do a huge circumnavigation to the next check-point. Then we descended to the foot of Great Whernside, the last peak to be climbed. I remember that I trudged up without a rest. I suddenly realised that I was at the top and that I hadn’t stopped. It had taken a long time, from noon the previous day, but I had achieved the perfect rhythm.

At that point I had nine more miles to go, mostly downhill, but involving various peat bogs on the way down. I had just two hours to do it. I knew I would have to put on a spurt.

I finished in 23 hours 28 minutes. It really meant something to have finished. I didn’t have much time to enjoy the scenery, but the sense of achievement was tremendous. Moreover, I felt a keen sense of gratitude to my family and the staff for making it possible, and to the Creator of the world for making such compelling beauty.

This story about how to find happiness and joy was submitted by Stuart E. Nelson.