I find more and more that the only thing that works for me is to find ways to feel good. That might be as simple as drinking a good cup of coffee, or standing in my garden and looking at rain drops hanging on a leaf or listening to the birds singing outside my conservatory, (office). I’ve at last begun to recognise that happiness, for me, lies in the small things. And the more of the small happinesses I notice and appreciate, the better I feel and the more smoothly my life flows. I may have dreams and plans that are large, but when I’m in that happiness place, appreciating the small things, feeling gratitude for what is, those larger plans just seem to materialise. Someone appears in my life, an opportunity appears and I’m in a good state and I notice that and move forward without struggle.
The problem for me, and probably for many of you, is the old belief in struggle and hard work. In my family, it was necessary to earn things. You had to deserve good things, or success, or to be liked. There was such a work ethic, that if things came easily, you were expected to feel guilty and boy did I do guilt! You can already see the pattern for self sabotage appearing. One part of me feeling that I need to be joyful, to celebrate the wonder of life and the other part thinking I have to work really hard and struggle. No wonder life is interesting!
And yet, it’s been known for thousands of years that gratitude is the key to happiness and success. The Secret, and all the abundance work that is on offer now, has been known for centuries and amazingly, wherever I look, whatever I read at the moment, the same message is coming from different places.
I was talking to someone a while back about Pollyanna. Those of you of a certain age may have seen Hayley Mills in the film. Pollyanna and her father invented the “Glad game”. It was about looking at whatever was not as you wanted it in your life and finding something to be glad about. I’ve not seen the film, or thought about it for years, but guess what, it was on at Christmas. I watched it and dutifully wept at the bits that I always weep at, but the message was clear. What can you find in what is going on for you to feel grateful for? When things feel overwhelming, I encourage you to try it and see how much more smoothly your life flows. I look forward to hearing how it works for you.
Remember, "A slight shift in perspective can yield radically different results." - Alan Cohen
