Happiness, Gratitude and Choices

I have been thinking about happiness, gratitude and choices a lot lately and how they are connected. I came across this video on a friends' FB page and wanted to share. I am sure that most of you have already seen it, but I wanted to post it anyway. It's pretty funny and made me smile.

This same friend contributes to a blog I like called Segullah and she wrote an article called How to be Happy that I thought was interesting. Included in hers was a link to a separate article by Wendy Ulrich PhD entitled Harvesting Happiness. In her article, she lists things we can do to find greater happiness and one that I wanted to point out was gratitude. I recognize in my own life the effect showing gratitude has on me and my family. I have had countless experiences where recognizing blessings has brought me peace, joy and a feeling of contentment with everything around me. Truly. 

(On a side note, she talks about a new area of psychology that studies the positive and not the negative. She says, "positive psychology has developed on the premise that the pursuit of happiness deserves at least as much scientific attention as learning how not to be miserable." Isn't that fabulous?!)

So my mind has been occupied with the idea of choices. I believe so much of what makes us happy or miserable, content or disappointed, calm or upset is determined by choice. I am not saying that our choices or the choices of others and their consequences are the sole determinate, but rather how we respond. Try and follow my train of thought on this. During the course of your day, if something occurs that is bothersome, how do you handle it? It could be something small like misplacing your keys or a phone number. On the other hand, it could be much bigger like you or your spouse losing their job. Obviously either of these situations aren't going to make you feel happier, but do they really have the power to effect us like they do? Or do we choose to let them effect us? You see what I am getting at? We have a choice.

A dear friends' husband lost his job recently. I was amazed (as I always am) at her perspective and ability to stay positive and hopeful through everything. She is the kind of person I want to be more like. She has helped me to see things clearly when my own vision is clouded by sadness, frustration or disappointment or even pride. (Thanks Fifi!) 

So I am determined to try harder, no... I am going to do better at choosing happiness in my own life. After all, I have a choice.