Gratitude Saves Lives

It’s true. I’ve sometimes heard it said that I’m almost always happy and positive, but this isn’t my natural state. Because of my early experiences I’m a natural pessimist who was programmed to wait for the other painful shoe to drop.

My life script originally was written as an epic tragedy. Instead, to paraphrase Jimmy Buffett, some of it’s tragic, but most of it’s magic, and I’ve had a good life all the way.

How? As I said in my book, it mostly depends on what movie you show yourself every day. If you focus mostly on all the unhappy things in your life, then you’re going to be pessimistic and feel bad. If you focus mostly on all the happy things in life, then you’re going to be optimistic and feel good.

No, this doesn’t’ mean you shouldn’t change the painful things in your life that you can change, or that you should adopt a “Pollyanna” perspective and feel good about painful things in your life that you can’t change. For example, you certainly should feel bad about breaking your leg, but then you can use the downtime to focus on writing that book you’ve been thinking about.

In addition to lots of therapy a while back, twice daily I reset my attitude and worldview by practicing gratitude. I remind myself about all the pleasurable things I can look forward to at the start of the day, and then I celebrate all the pleasurable things I enjoyed at the end of the day.

For example, I’m grateful for an awesome wife and life partner (best decision I ever made), a wonderful family, good friends that I can talk with about anything (my ex-wife is one of my best friends), work that I love (getting paid to help other people be happier), sharing my love of music with others by putting the “harm” in harmonica, and enough money to not worry about money,

What movie are you showing yourself, and what are you grateful for?  

Don’t be a stranger. (770) 993-1129. tdockery@TheResolveFirm.com