Gratitude = Happiness

So you want to be happy? Yeah, me too. Here's what I know:

Everyone will tell you differently, but happiness equals gratitude. I firmly believe this. Not just that they're similar or connected, but that they are actually the same thing. I believe that the happiness we all seek, that joy, is actually gratitude.

That seems like a simple concept. Then why would so many people want to deny it?

Because it requires energy. As humans, we want to do as little as possible. Our drive for efficiency is a natural, evolutionary quality that we need to acknowledge. "Know thyself", right? Well, because of this, we don't want to spent energy we don't have to spend. We don't want to put in any effort. THAT'S OKAY! It's natural. There should be no shame in that. Instead, what we should do is acknowledge it and know that sometimes we'll have to work against it in order to achieve what we want. In this case, we're going to have to actively, consciously look for things for which to be grateful. We'll have to actively, consciously put in some effort.

The world would have us believe that happiness either a) can only be acquired through external means, or b) doesn't exist at all.

You've probably heard that first one. It's usually the argument that socialists use to justify their hate of capitalism. Money does not equal happiness. I think society has started realising that while wealth is good, it will never make us truly happy. We are moving away from those ideas. Just look at the rise of tiny homes, minimalism, and the KonMari Method (which I HIGHLY recommend btw 😁).

I think option b is actually the underlying poison that's preventing us from our goal of happiness. We subconsciously believe that happiness exists when there are no bad things. But we all know that that's not possible. Therefore we believe that happiness is not possible.

The action of being grateful for something in your life requires that you acknowledge the opposite: that there are bad things in your life. It's foolproof! No matter what your life throws at you, no matter what kind of person you are, no matter what you believe, there are good things and there are bad things in your life. Gratitude blankets everything and ensures that there is happiness to be found therein, no matter what. So even if your life is crap or falling apart at the seams, you will still be happy.

"Repetitive complaining will attract things for you to complain about. Repetitive gratitude will attract things for you to be thankful about." ~Unknown

I'm pretty sure there's even science behind that.

I hope you choose to make an effort to find things for which to be grateful. If you do this, you will always be happy. And that's worth every effort to get there and stay there. They say the best way to teach is to set an example, so here I go...

I am so grateful for you, whoever you are, for reading this and taking the time to get to know me and/or my beliefs. There are a lot of things you could be reading on the internet right now and the fact that you've decided to read my writing is a huge compliment and very humbling. I pray that you are blessed with gratitude/happiness!

Cheers,

Elise