Gratitude is the starting point.
With real gratitude, contentment is produced. And consistent contentment leads to ongoing joy.
If I’m unhappy with my life, I need to examine my level of gratitude. How grateful am I for what I already have? Am I, in my unhappiness, thinking that having more will create greater satisfaction?
William Glasser – American psychiatrist and father of Reality Therapy – says that change begins with our “acting.”
Our actions, habits, behaviors, and our “doing” influence our thinking, which has an impact on our feeling.
If I’m feeling dissatisfied, unhappy, or restless; if I feel no joy, and all I can think is how terrible things are, then I need a change in my “doing.”
I need to shift my perspective. I need to step back and notice more of the good. I need to talk more positively about my life.
Maybe I need to practice stillness, write in a journal, pray and thank God more.
When my actions and habits change, then the story I tell myself becomes different, and this leads to a change in my emotions.
Brene Brown says, “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness. It’s right in front of me, if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.”
And author Eckhart Tolle says, “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
And so, gratitude really is the starting point for joy.
If we can make this adjustment, we can begin to produce more of the emotional experiences that we’re longing for.