Want More Happiness in Life? Start with Gratitude for Life

“If you need something to be grateful for then check your pulse. Always be thankful for the gift of life.” ~unknown 

My birthday is this week, and I will admit, I have moments periodically when I feel a little ho-hum about getting older. It’s usually when my body or brain doesn’t allow me to do some of the things I used to do with ease…

I tried to “limbo” under our split rail fence recently and wasn’t sure I was going to get back up. I’m sure if my husband watched the security camera, he got a good laugh. 😉

Anyway, my point is, that it’s easy to take life and all its moments for granted. We can be quick to complain about the passing moments without appreciating them. But life is made up of all those moments, the good and the not so good. And aging… well, that’s a gift that not everyone gets to experience. Yet most people are quick to complain about it instead of being thankful that they get to breathe life into each new day.  

Here's the thing though, if you’re only living life going through the motions, then you’re not living much at all. If you don’t have happiness and joy in your life on a regular basis, then you’re missing it. But guess what? It’s not as hard to find as you might think.

Science actually shows that truly grateful people are happier than less grateful people. Yep, it’s that simple. Be grateful for the gifts you’ve been given.

In fact, research shows that something as simple as writing down 5 things you’re grateful for once a week can boost your happiness by as much as 25%. That’s powerful isn’t it? I will save all the other statistics for another day but for now, I want you to think about this, science says that the happiest among us are able to see ALL of life as a gift. That means not just the good times or the winning moments. But every moment.

Now don’t get me wrong, I can get into a good pity party just like the next person. Let’s refer back to my ho-hum attitude on aging that sometimes shows up. But the truth is, I know it’s a gift to get to experience getting older. And I also know that in addition to some of the not so glamorous parts, there are a ton of beautiful things about it. And you don’t get to have one without the other. Everything we experience in life makes us the beautiful and unique souls we are.

So, I want to share some wisdom with you from Robert Emmons who is one of the world’s leading researchers on the science of gratitude. In his book, Gratitude Works!, he says,

“I believe that gratitude is the best approach to life. When life is going well, it allows us to celebrate and magnify the goodness. When life is going badly, it provides a perspective by which we can view life in its entirety and not be overwhelmed by temporary experiences. And this is what grateful people do. They have learned to transform adversity into opportunity no matter what happens, to see existence itself as a gift.”

Pretty cool right? When life is going well, being grateful magnifies that goodness. And when life isn’t going so well, it gives us perspective and hope to navigate through any difficulty or adversity. No matter what, gratitude helps us see all of life, existence itself, as a gift.   

I want to invite you to celebrate life with me this week and beyond by embracing all of life as the profound gift it is. Let’s not take life for granted. Look for the gifts in every moment and acknowledge with gratitude that which each gift brings.