Magpie Magazine – January 2017
Here’s hoping 2017 is truly off to a ‘happy’ start and you’re not feeling overwhelmed by the weight loss programmes, fitness regimes and healthy eating plans that have become January’s staple diet.
Well, this year I’m not checking into anybody’s boot camp, but instead, I’m going to exercise my mental muscles and focus on being ‘happy’ inside. The mind, like the body, needs nourishment, rest and exercise. Filling our mind full of lovely thoughts is the same as feeding our body a delicious nutritious meal.
So where do I find these lovely thoughts when I need them? Thankfully I have a very good tool for this. It’s called ‘gratitude’, the act of being grateful for what I have. You may hear people saying ‘count your blessings’. Well, that’s what gratitude is, and when we count our blessings and are grateful for what we have, somehow we attract more goodness into our life. Even if we feel broke it is important to be grateful for what little money we have and all the money we have had in our lifetime. When I get up in the morning I make a list of ten things I am grateful for; my lovely bed, my snuggly dressing gown, my gorgeous shower gel, my boyfriend, my family, etc. Every day is different and I just write what comes into my head.
Walking through the supermarket I’m uplifted by Imelda May singing: ‘Oh my God, it’s good to be alive’. Yes, being alive is definitely a cause for celebration. Having money to go shopping is also a reason to be happy. I thank myself for working and earning money to keep my cupboard stocked. These are small things that we take for granted, but really they are big things that we can be grateful for. I see a man in a wheelchair and I am thankful for the use of my limbs.
Getting back to my home I am happy to have a lovely place to live. I turn on the stove and feel gratitude for my cooking utensils and the skill of being able to cook. Who taught me? My Mum did, so I feel grateful to her for sharing this with me. I have my favourite relaxation music playing and candles lighting. I am loving cooking and thinking about nothing, other than how grateful I am for everything I have. I feel happy. Of all the things I’ve learned in my life from teachers, including Bob Proctor, I think ‘gratitude’ is the number one lesson that has brought me the most happiness and contentment.
Being grateful is a magical feeling. It forces me to focus on all the good I have and stops me mulling over all the things I don’t have and the stuff I didn’t do. Whenever I am feeling low or stressed about something I turn to ‘gratitude’, and write a list of things that I am grateful for. So please join me on my diet of gratitude and happiness. You will feel amazing.
Ewa’s Tips
- Daily gratitude exercise. When you wake up every day have a computer or pen/paper handy and write a list of ten things that you are grateful for.
- I feel truly blessed to have… because…
Explain briefly why you are happy with each one. - My recommended read for gratitude and happiness in 2017: Magic by Rhonda Byrne.
- Always look at what you have done, and not at what you haven’t. It’s important to recognise your achievements, however small.
