Express Gratitude

When was the last time you really sat down and thought about all the things you're thankful for? It's probably been awhile right? This is something a lot of us don't realize can greatly change the way we look at our problems in life.

Instead, we focus our energy on our worries and the things that we see as negative. We often give little annoyances or events that are out of our control so much power over our happiness. We let those things dictate how we feel when we go to bed and when we wake up.

In doing so, we are conditioned to constantly think about all the 'bad' things that are making us feel sad, mad, or discouraged. After awhile, we let them take up so much space in our mind that we forget that we even have anything good going on in our lives. The negative aspects will always overpower the positives as long as we let them.

Spending your time focusing on problems only creates more problems that can be avoided.

My life greatly changed when I began to spend more time being thankful for everything, rather than let myself be a victim of everything that happened to me. I gave myself more freedom to create space for nothing but positivity and happiness. Before, I never took the time to acknowledge the little things that I am truly grateful for.

There are so many people who have life worse than we do. We don't always get what we want and things aren't always going to be great. In expressing more gratitude for what we have does nothing but good.

Frequently, we blame others or blame circumstances for our feelings of unhappiness. Many of us spend our whole lives searching for things that make us happy and when we finally find them, we realize that there's still that desire for something more. There is never going to be one point in life where you find the ONE thing that's going to make you happy. That is because the only thing standing in your way, is yourself.

Once we decide to be thankful for the things we have, is when we then lose the desire and empty feeling of something that's missing. We trick ourselves into thinking that we need more in order to fill a void where gratitude should lay.

I realized that happiness isn't about always getting what I want, but instead loving what I have and being appreciative of it.

Don't Give Up

Don't you love the feeling of finally reaching that goal you've been working so hard to achieve? It's one of the greatest feelings to know that you kept a promise to yourself to follow your dreams.

If you know me, you would know that I am a very competitive person, not only with others but first and foremost, with myself. I am always competing with the person I was yesterday. I enjoy setting goals for myself and challenging myself mentally, physically, and emotionally to make myself grow as an individual.

However, it's never an easy thing to do. When it comes to following your dreams or goal-setting, often follows discouragement, indecisiveness, and fear of failure. Sometimes we feel like giving up because it's the easy thing to do.

What you have to remember is that you set out to accomplish something for a reason. The reason being, you have confidence in yourself that you could reach your goal. Not too long ago, you believed that you were capable of following your dreams and you were right. It is so vital to our success that we not let those little thoughts of doubt or fear completely take over our minds into giving up. Not everything always goes smoothly, but we have to be okay with that.

We are going to go through hardships and reach road blocks, but that's not the time to quit or turn around the other way. There's always another route to your destination. You've made too much progress to let yourself take steps backward. These obstacles may seem impossible to overcome, but there's millions of people that go through these things everyday. It's part of life. In my opinion, I don't think we would ever grow as humans in any aspect of life without going through tough times.

Struggle is what makes us stronger. If you've noticed yet, things that used to seem difficult in life--once achieved--become so easy that you question why you ever thought of giving up.

We already know what it feels like to quit. We've all done it, and it's all too familiar--the feeling that we wasted our time or the feeling of temporary relief. But what we really end up with is a tiny ounce of regret or disappointment with ourselves for not pushing through to the end.

Good things never come easy. Good things take time. They come to those who work their tails off and never give up. I've learned that the peak of my growth is when I make the decision not to give up. That is the critical moment where I choose to keep going. I choose not to quit and that my goal is worth some extra effort. I choose to keep focusing on all of the progress I have made, rather than focus on how far away I am from my destination. I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday.

Stay motivated. Remember why you started. Think of how proud you'll be when you meet your accomplishment. It's just a process. Hold onto your dream and don't lose the power you once had in initiating the start to a great thing. I promise, it'll all be worth it. I'm cheering for you!

Say Yes to Opportunity

Benjamin Franklin once said, "To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions."

We are faced with new circumstances every day and when they arise we have a choice to make--do we want that circumstance to become a difficulty in our life or an opportunity for the better.

Many of us don't take advantage of opportunities in our everyday lives because we are most of the time, either too comfortable or too afraid. Paul Coelho, In Like the Flowing River, wrote "Sometimes, we are so attached to our way of life, that we turn down a wonderful opportunity simply because we don't know what to do with it."

Opportunities are often seen as a struggle to us and that's why we choose not to take the time to pursue them. OR sometimes we just simply don't recognize them as an opportunity.

It is important to wake up every day striving for new chances to take. This is what keeps life worth living. I've learned that fear is one of the main obstacles we place in our path that blinds us from the many great things life has to offer us. This fear we create in our minds keeps us caged up inside. We let it control the choices we make when it comes to work, relationships, family, health, and finances and countless other aspects in life.

What we have to realize is that there lies so much growth and possibility on the other side of fear and struggle. Once you change your perception about what you are afraid of or what is seen as difficult, you will begin to overcome these things and see them as opportunity.

Feeling afraid or feeling bad for ourselves when circumstances arise leaves no room for positive growth within. However, once we choose to create and/or recognize an opportunity is when we truly begin to embrace all that life has to offer.

Often we talk about all the goals and aspirations we desire to achieve, but we don't live in parallel to those dreams. We don't take the chances necessary to achieve those dreams we have. Instead, we see all the opportunity set in front of us as a misfortune. We talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.

Once we begin to take chances and try new things is when we will start to notice all the great possibilities we've been missing out on this whole time we've been 'alive'.

Opportunity is defined by Merriam-Webster as: an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done. Ultimately, our lives are defined by all opportunity, even the ones we don't take advantage of.

You never get the same moment twice in life. Every day is a new day, a new day to be excited about all the great moments that are yet to come. Try to see the good in every situation because once you do I promise it will make every second worthwhile.

So when opportunity knocks, answer --because old ways won't open new doors.

Help Others

One of the best things I've learned that benefits myself as well as others, is being compassionate and doing random acts of kindness.

For some people helping others comes naturally, for others it can be intimidating.

Many times we don't do things for other people because we feel we won't get anything in return. But truthfully, we shouldn't expect anything in return. It should be innate to help others. But instead, it's something that is sometimes frowned upon. You shouldn't need a reason to help people because we were all born with the ability to change someone's life for the better.

We are all here for the same purpose; we are here to live a happy life. And, in order to live a happy life it's our responsibility as humans to be there for family, friends, and most importantly strangers.

Have you ever helped someone and their reaction was so full of gratitude it actually made YOUR day? It's truly one of the most fulfilling things to see that just a little act of kindness may be so huge in someone else's heart.

As you'll begin to notice, the personal satisfaction you get from helping someone is one of the many things that contributes to your overall happiness. You'll feel better about yourself because you're putting out good energy which will eventually come back to you in a handful of ways.

Not only will you feel better about yourself and start to feel happier--imagine how the people you're helping may feel. Some may not acknowledge your actions and for others that may turn their whole day around.

We are  rarely conscious of how much our actions affect others, but we are the first to comment on how others' make us feel. Isn't that ironic? Sometimes it's okay to take a look in the mirror and wonder why we aren't feeling satisfied with ourselves, rather than point the finger at others for the way we feel.

When you see someone who needs help or who seems to be struggling, lend a hand. Pay it forward when someone helps you. It's not often that someone will go out of their way to help a complete stranger, but such things help make our world a better place. A happier place, for all who are living in it.

Being a positive catalyst in today's society is such a great thing. It's something that inspires others to follow in your footsteps. Know that your kindness will have a snowball effect on the universe. A few nice words or kind act can help a person a lot more than you think.

Don't Dwell on the Past, Live in the Now

Some of the biggest things we waste our time doing in life is wishing things went differently, regretting our actions, or worrying about how others' actions have affected us in the past.

But in reality, there is truly nothing you can do to change what has already happened in life.

We let ourselves go crazy over wishing we could've done things otherwise. We let our minds snowball on how people have hurt us and worry about when they will do it again next. This dwelling of the past ultimately leads us to living our lives in the past.

It's constantly, "she did that", "he said this", "I wish I wouldn't have done that". 

Things are going to happen. People are going to do things that hurt us. Sometimes we do things that don't even elevate our own happiness. 

However, one thing we need to learn to do is to just get over it, as harsh as it may sound. 

Living with that feeling of discomfort about past events only leaves us with worry and expectations, which then lead us to be disappointed or insecure about many things that we give too much importance.  

We have to teach ourselves to be comfortable with whatever happens. Sometimes it's okay to acknowledge that something happened, but the next step after that is to move on from it. 

Move on from the disappointment, move on from the paranoia, move on from the regrets. Be so comfortable with everything that happens, that you don't let it affect your happiness. 

We let so many things from our past determine our future. They become staples for us on how to live our lives and it shouldn't be that way. We can't let ourselves be the victim to our whole life's past. It's okay to let go of the previous and all of its pain in order to live a happier and healthier future.

Forgive those who have hurt you. Be thankful for everything you have gone through, instead of letting your experiences define you. You are who you are because of all the life you have lived, not the life that has lived you.

Make the most of what your future holds instead of worrying about things you can't change. 

We are given a clean slate every morning we wake-up to live a better day than yesterday. Don't continue to stumble over what has happened. Reclaim your new beginnings with peace and happiness. Live in the present moment, for it is called the present for a reason. 

By living in the now you refuse to let anything take away from you right in this exact moment. You are alive and well. You are at peace. You are in your natural state of being. You are happy. 

After awhile we will learn to appreciate the bad and the good. We will appreciate the past, for it has given us a better future. We stop the past from distracting us from all good that is placed in front of us. We let go, and live now. 

Don't Judge

Haven't you ever noticed yourself judging someone else because of their looks, actions, or circumstances that aren't parallel with your beliefs or lifestyle?

Growing up I've heard countless stereotypes applied to different races, religions, occupations, and lifestyles that we have never actually experienced ourselves.

Many times we aren't conscious that we are judging others and we fail to stop and take the time to ask ourselves, why? Why do we think this way? Why do we think we are any better than this other person or group of people? Who is to say they don't deserve just as much or more than we do?

I'm sure we have all heard the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover", but when have we actually applied this in our own lives? What makes us think that we know so much about this person or group of people that we have the right to label them based on our own predispositions. We often speak on things that we don't know about and unfortunately the majority of the time, it's about others.

Some people give the excuse of knowing facts about people as a reason for judging them, but even if we knew the life story of every individuals' experiences and reasoning for their actions--that still doesn't give us the right in doing so.

I don't know about you, but I don't like to be judged on false preferences or even true ones. I live my life to make myself happy and to be as positive as I can for myself and others around me.

I have also come to realize that some of us choose not to follow our hearts or make our own decisions because of what others will think of us. We live in fear of being judged by others. We fear that we will be rejected, labeled, or excluded by those who take part in it.

By living with this fear we become insecure about many aspects in our lives and we hold back the person we truly are from living a happy and positive life. We get so caught up in the negativity and drama in life that it becomes so hard for us to see the good in everything and everyone.

The next time you feel the need the judge someone or something, remember to ask yourself why you are and what good that does for anybody?

We already live in a world filled with so much violence, hate, and negativity--so let's try and change it for the better, starting with ourselves.