— Rabbi Harold Kushner
Whenever health is mentioned, most people think about a healthy diet or a healthy physical appearance, however, a healthy attitude and perspective on life is far more important. Without these you will never have health or happiness!
In my opinion, we are given this gift of life to grow, expand, and experience all that life has to offer - including the challenges, the stress, and the "bad" things that happen. So we must have gratitude, as it is the key that unlocks our ability to appreciate what we have and who we are, which in turn enables us to face life's challenges without being knocked off course.
From a technological and convenience standpoint, life has never been easier. We have all the modern comforts: we can travel the world within a day, thanks to air travel. When we are on the other side of the world, we can see our friends and family with one click of a button on our smart phones, and the internet in general has made the world more connected than it ever has been before.
On the flip side, our society has developed a sense of entitlement and a lot of expectations. When those expectations aren't met, we complain and focus on everything that has gone wrong. People complain because the Wi-Fi isn't working on their flight, while forgetting that the plane is saving them hours or days of travel while they are 30,000 feet in the air in a cylindrical metal tube!
Life will always throw challenges and obstacles at you, that’s the point of being alive! So it’s your job to find the silver linings. Remember, no incident that happens to you is good or bad, it is just "an incident." The good or bad is something you apply to it. The problem with this is, once we identify something as bad, we miss the benefits that are initially hidden from view.
For example, let’s say you’ve just lost your job. You didn’t particularly enjoy this job but now you’re worried about how your bills will be paid or how you’ll support your family. Seems like a negative situation when you look at it. But when you are practicing gratitude, you may see this situation as an opportunity to look for something better. A chance to finally go after that dream job you’ve always wanted, or a chance to finally start your own business and be your own boss! Maybe you just needed a little push out of your comfort zone, which is exactly what you got.
So how do you start changing your perspective and focus on the hidden blessings in bad or uncomfortable situations? I find the best way is to keep a gratitude journal. Every night before you go to bed, instead of focusing on all the things that went wrong, write down all the good things you experienced that day. Focus on the positive!
If you can foster an attitude of gratitude every day, you will find more health, fulfillment, and enjoyment in your life. That, I can guarantee!
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