In the past year I’ve been happier than I have in my entire life and I owe that to one thing: being thankful.
That doesn’t mean my life is all sunshine and rainbows – because it isn’t. I’m not a millionaire, I don’t have life all figured out, and some days my kids drive me absolutely crazy. But I’m still thankful for all of that.
I’ve come to the realization that my problems, in comparison to the grand scheme of life, are miniscule. And over the past year I’ve really honed in on feeling a sense of contentment.
When you’re content with where you’re at your whole life will start to change. It’s getting there that’s the hard part.
Here is what helped me.
Stopping the Self Comparisons
There’s always going to be someone out there who does better than you. They earn more, they have nicer things, more friends, and appear to have a better life in general.
The truth is you don’t know how they got to where they are.
When you make self-comparisons you’re comparing the good parts of someone’s life without thinking about the bad. You don’t how much work they put in to get where they’re at and the truth is you’re probably just as capable.
For instance, that person making three times the amount of money as you could be working 60-80 hours per week, neglecting their family, and while earning a great income, may be miserable.
If you need proof that people only share the good parts of their life then head on over to Facebook. That should make it pretty clear!
Giving Thanks Every Day
Every night before I go to bed I think about all the things I’m thankful for. And then, I pray.
But here’s the thing, you don’t have to be religious to be thankful. If you don’t like the idea of praying then create a gratitude journal. Every morning or night take five minutes and write five things you’re thankful for.
Focusing on the good instead of the bad will change your outlook quickly.
Seeing Mistakes as Learning Experiences
When I made a mistake I used to dwell on it for days. It would eat me up inside. In my head that mistake was magnified and I was sure that everyone else would see how incompetent I was.
I worried all the time. It was my Dad who finally snapped me out of it. He would remind me of the quote “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.”
Learn from your mistakes, don’t dwell on them. Nobody is perfect.
Work at it Every Day
Contentment is not something that happens overnight BUT it can happen quickly. If you take the focus off of the things you don’t like in your life and shift them toward the positive you’ll be a little closer to absolutely LOVING your life every day.