Some people seem to have cracked the secret code to happiness and are having the best time of their lives.  All the while, others spend their whole lives chasing the most elusive of all emotions and never seem to succeed.  Have you ever wondered why?

Recently I was asked by a co-worker why it seemed every time she saw me that I appeared to be happy.  I stumbled with my words not really knowing how to answer her question.

Am I happy all the time?  I thought.  No.  I do have moments of sadness, getting angry, and feeling depressed but I admit that my good and happy times seem to outshine the bad.  So why is that?

The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. – Max Lucado

My time on earth is short so why should I waste it going through a day without some internal sunshine.  I want to end the day with a satisfaction knowing I have experienced joy, happiness or got WOWED in some way despite having a negative circumstance happening in my life.  I don’t want to waste a day with just bad stuff.

Gratitude and attitude are not challenges; they are choices. – Robert J. Braathe

How do you grumble less and have gratitude?  Be intentional in being grateful.  Just like any other good habit you’re trying to incorporate in your life it takes practice.  Do it over and over and over, day after day and it will get easier.

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation. – Brian Tracy

Pray prayers of gratitude.  Talking to God and letting him know that I am thankful of the many things in my life such as family, job, a place to live, friends, rain, the stain on my nice shirt, or my aching knees.  This always gives me a better perspective and takes my focus off the bad stuff.

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 – Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Start a gratitude journal.  It’s easy to forget about the great stuff that has happened in my life but when I put it down on paper and look back on it especially during the crappy times, I am reminded of God’s goodness and the grace he has poured out on me.

Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves and spend without fear of going broke. – Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

I can speak from experience that when you change your grumbly wayward lifestyle to an attitude of gratitude you will see an improved outlook on life.  You will start to experience a new way of living and will have cracked the code to happiness.

Having gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. – Melody Beattie

Psalm 118: 24 – This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Photo by Gabriella Henderson on Unsplash.

 

                                Gwen

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