“Be happy with what you have and are, be generous with both, and you won’t have to hunt for happiness.” -William E. Gladstone
Many times we find ourselves so busy and caught up in life that we forget many things we already know. Working as a therapist, I often remind my clients to slow down enough to remember what they already know. I have to remind myself of this as well.
The daily stressors in life sometimes cloud our minds and we forget what happiness is all about. We sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that if we get more stuff or change another person we will finally find happiness- as if it were a pot of gold waiting for us at the end of the rainbow.
We forget that so much of our happiness comes from within. It comes from our actions and our attitudes and is not dependent on our circumstances alone. While writing my book, The Snowball Effect: How to Build Positive Momentum in Your Life, I was reminded daily of the things we so often forget. And now that the book has been published, I go back and read sections so that I don’t forget what I already know.
I am reminded that we are not designed to be permanently happy, but we have the power to increase our happiness regardless of our situation. We have the power to emerge from the darkness and enter the light, even in times that would challenge the endurance of any human being.
Below I have listed 6 life-changing things that are easy to forget. If you like what you read and you want to go deeper, check out my new book, The Snowball Effect: How to Build Positive Momentum in Your Life. People are telling me that the book has changed their life. I know the stories, tools, and techniques have changed mine. Check it out here!
6 Life-Changing Things That Are Easy to Forget
View rejection as a blessing in disguise. Don’t allow rejection to defeat you. You must use the rejection as an opportunity to grow. You must view the rejection with an attitude of gratitude. There is a lesson to be learned. There are much bigger plans for you. This is not the end. Your pain will decrease and doors will open (wonderful doors) if you are willing to get up and persevere. Happy people do get knocked down, disappointed, and hurt, but they refuse to stay down. They get up, allow themselves to grieve the loss, accept what they can’t change, and figure out what they can do moving forward to improve their life.
Practice daily gratitude. Marcus Aurelius said, “Take full account of the excellencies which you possess, and in gratitude remember how you would hanker after them, if you had them not.” We all have things in our lives that we forget to appreciate. Whether it is the rose blooming outside our window or the fact that we can still see, it is important to slow down enough to be mindful and grateful of the magic that surrounds us, the magic that is in us, and the magic that exists in others.
Avoid making assumptions. Many times our emotional reactions have much more to do with our assumptions than they do with the reality of the situation. In other words, we often react to our own thoughts about an event rather than to the event itself. All assumptions do is cause problems for you and others around you. Always seek clarity and assume nothing. This will save you from a lot of useless anger and needless relationship problems.
Let go of resentment. In order to grow as a person and get your life moving in the right direction, you have to decide to release the bitterness from within. The toxic grudge isn’t hurting the person who harmed you; it is poisoning only you. Someone may have hurt you in the past, but if you are holding on to resentment, you are the one hurting you in the present. Maybe it is time to let go. (I discuss how to do this in the “Letting Go of Resentment” chapter in my book The Snowball Effect: How to Build Positive Momentum in Your Life. )
Treat yourself with respect and compassion. We can’t expect others to treat us better than we treat ourselves. If you want to be respected, you must respect yourself. It all begins with you. Ask yourself, “Am I treating myself the way I want others to treat me? I am treating myself as well as I treat the people I love.” If you treat yourself with respect, love, and compassion, you will have more respect, love, and compassion for others. This will improve all of your relationships and your life.
Take Action. Norman Vincent Peale tells us, “Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause of fear.” Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” And you know what? The very thing that you fear many times ends up to be no horror at all. Remember life rewards action. From my chapter, Pushing Past the Fear to Move Forward.
Click here to listen to my Soul-Luminous Radio podcast on building positive momentum in your life. Maybe it is time to grow! Maybe it is time for a change! Maybe that time is now!
Great comments, and good reminders of what we should think about every day. Thanks for the inspiration!
You are so welcome!