I think that it’s easy to feel sorry for ourselves when things aren’t going the way we would like them to. It can be frustrating to experience easy times and then encounter hard ones, especially the first time it happens. If you’re experiencing unhappiness with life because things aren’t going the way you’d like them to, and if you haven’t heard it yet, I’ll let you in on some truth: get used to it; it’s a part of life.
There will always be things that are outside of our control. We can wallow in the circumstances we can’t change, choose to focus on the things we control, and create an environment we want with that. You can’t let situations you have no control over take over your life. There are always going to be circumstances that we don’t like.
Instead of focusing on all that is going wrong, shift your thoughts to what you have to be grateful for. If you woke up this morning, have food in your fridge and a roof over your head, you’re doing better than a large percentage of the global population. It’s easy to think about all the things you don’t like or would like to change, but doesn’t it feel better to think about everything that’s going well in your life?
In a yoga DVD I used to own, the recently departed Patricia Moreno says that gratitude is the greatest multiplier of good. When I was suffering from depression after my father passed away and chose to work with a life coach, one of the first things I received was a gratitude journal. I struggled at first to find things to be grateful for, but I could fill an entire page each day as time passed. It was a constant reminder that regardless of how bad things may seem, there’s always something to be grateful for.
A gratitude journal is a great way to shift your perspective if you’re feeling unhappy with life right now. It may seem like a frivolous exercise, but I promise, if you do it consistently for a week, you’ll feel a difference. There are many things outside of our control, and some things are within our control. We can choose what we want to focus on, instead of focusing on all the things we lack in your life right now, give focusing on your blessings a try. ♥