On Happiness: Ten Things On My Mind…
“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” Frederick Keonig
On Happiness: Ten Things On My Mind... Breath. Life. Grace...
Breath. Life. Grace. If you’ve ever been in a situation where you saw your life flash before you and knew, after the fact, that grace saw you through, it would give you perspective on all the petty stuff we find ourselves quibbling over every day. Today, I am choosing to look at life through the lens of gratitude and happiness. We talk about happiness a lot and yet, the associations tend to do with things we want not blessings we already have. A sudden shift in perspective might occur when the slightest possibility arises that reminds us of the fragility of life; the senselessness of quarrels and petty hatreds.
“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” Anon
On Happiness: Ten Things On My Mind... Family. Health. Air.
Family. Health. Air. I am not perfect, but I can see the perfection in the way I was created, and I can see the same in your perfection too. Being happy as quoted above is not just about the grandiose things, or the outrageously good or perfect moments, but about all the moments we have air in our lungs and a ticking heart in our chest, and loved ones who will gladly drop everything to see to it that we are cared for, protected, and hugged. Everyone on this planet deserves that much, and the rest is icing or as my favorite line goes; after the main event, the rest is paperwork… Happiness is not a destination, it’s a choice we make to be at peace and appreciate the good while we work to improve the rest… More below.
“It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.” Dale Carnegie
On Happiness: Ten Things On My Mind... Vision. Rest. Good Thoughts...
Vision. Rest. Thoughts. We sometimes take ourselves and our abilities for granted, and beat ourselves up over things that don’t, in the scheme of things, matter. When you are on the precipice of a cliff and see the fall below, trust me, the last thought in your head is the negative stuff. Consider a mind-shift; rest. It brings clarity and a vision that is filled with memories of the good, the kind words offered to us, the joyful, musical moments, and a fleeting remorse for the appreciation we didn’t offer to those who cared for and loved us.
“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be” Marcel Pagnol
On Happiness: Ten Things On My Mind... Gratitude for all...
Gratitude. Some of us are not given to public pronouncements about everything that goes on in our lives. We all choose what we wish to share and blogging about all of it might not be the goal. However, if we can help or support others from the bits we allude to or share, and if the lessons learned from events that stand out for us help others make sense of their situation, then the efforts made are beneficial. The ten things on my mind are completed with gratitude to God and to all who care for/about others… Be a blessing to someone today, tomorrow, everyday…
What about you? What are your thoughts? What lessons on happiness cross your mind? How do you share your blessings? Do share! Thank you. 
This post was inspired by Life events and a prompt from MamaKat’s Writers Workshop: Write a list of ten things on your mind this week.
Positive Motivation Tip: Be at peace with where you are; happiness rests there.
Related articles
- The Power of Gratitude (purplepomelo.wordpress.com)
- Playlist: 5 Mindshifting Talks On Happiness (blog.ted.com)
- Hello world! (throughmyeyesmyworldmylife.wordpress.com)
- The Enermazing Weekly Ticker 3 (enermazing.wordpress.com)
- Sunrise Sunset, Sunrise Sunset (nrhatch.wordpress.com)
- Can writing make you happier? (businessinsider.com)
- Just fall in love with what is (guitagopalan.wordpress.com)
- Reflections: Ten Things To Be Grateful For Today… (eof737.wordpress.com)
- Gratitude: Ten Reasons For A Grateful Heart & Blog Awards… (eof737.wordpress.com)
- Inspiration: What If… (eof737.wordpress.com)
- Come Fly With Me (advharma.wordpress.com)
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos Beats & Breath, Rose Marcel, Flock of Seagulls, and Happiness Hopping, via Wikipedia
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
thanx for this great post..i really needed that today.. 🙂
TY for stopping by! I really appreciate the feedback and will return the visit shortly… 🙂
Blessings,
E 🙂
TY all for your love and support… I apologize for any delayed comments on your blogs and here… I’ve been under the weather and will return/catch up once all is well & clear. Again, TY all! 🙂
Generally what we take for granted is the most important things to be happy.
Such as friends, family, colleague, water and food.:)
This is true… and the longer we distance ourselves from what matters, the harder it becomes to mend our fences and move forward. TY! 🙂
Love this post…thank you!!!
TY dear RNP! I’m glad it spoke to you too… 🙂
wonderful post!
TY Stacey! Hope all is well… 🙂
I agree that life is much too valuable to engage in anything petty or destructive and it’s an unfortunate reality that it often takes being faced with the fragility of it before we remember how special this short time on Earth is. Thank you for a beautiful post!
I agree… life is valuable and quite short… remembering to enjoy our special time is imperative. TY for your visit! 🙂
I like your quotation “We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” Frederick Keonig
TY Fritzztext! Where have you been lately? I love the quote too… It expresses the most important reason and more… 🙂
I needed this post… thank you for helping me find the words Eliz (you do that quite often!)
It is hard sometimes to decide how much of yourself & your personal situations/dilemmas & struggles I want to share. I know that my blogging friends care for & support me, but there are still some struggles that I choose not to air publicly. For example, i have still been a bit invisible in the blogging world recently. Some in my circle expressed concern & shared support privately via emails, twitter & Facebook.I was more willing to share that way with those particular friends instead of airing EVERYTHING out there to be seen.
At the end of the day, I am thankful
TY too Megan! I hope you are making the requisite strides and I hear you… We can share more or less in our blogs and that is fine…. what matters most is what we do with our time. 🙂
We need to learn not to take everything for granted – thanks for the reminder Elizabeth. Great post!
Amen to that… Taking ourselves and others for granted is a waste of time… TY Barb! 🙂
Great post Eliz! You always seem to get it right with what you write 🙂
TY Lian… How are you? I’m waiting for another post from your great blog… Keep em coming! TY again! 🙂
I know, I really have to write something… I’ll try to come up with something fun today 🙂 Thanks for keeping up with my blog!
TY for doing same with mine… much appreciated! 🙂 I look forward to your blog post then. TY! 🙂
I am at my happiest when I look around my little house in Bulgaria, at my animals and at the man in man in my life.Then I know contentment
You sum it up quite well Ms Whiplash and I say amen to that… Few things can beat the blessings of time to enjoy home, pet, and partner… 🙂 TY! 🙂
Lovely inspirational post that put life in perspective. And everything you write about here is so true. Especially about happiness being a choice not a destination. 🙂
TY Ropcorn… Glad to see you again. I will stop by to return the favor shortly… TY! A scare or a riveting incident brings it to the foreground… and forces us to look at what has greatest value… TY again! 🙂
Thank you for your stopping over at my blog and commenting. But most of all Thank You for making me deal with adding an email subscription button. I have had the intention of doing so for a while just not gotten around to it. But now I finally have one! :p And it wasn’t hard at all to install it, hehe.
Have a lovely week ahead you too! 🙂
Fantastic! I’ll stop by again and sign up… Kudos! 🙂
Wonderful post. Thank you. 🙂
TY for stopping by Robin! 🙂
Good post, Elizabeth. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.
I don’t think of it at every moment, but I’m happy and I’m grateful for my life. I know it’s fabulous just the way it is. And I also know that if there’s something I don’t like, I have the power to change it. That’s part of the source of my happiness — the ability to effect change in my life.
Thanks for this. Nice way to spend a Sunday, reading about happiness and gratitude.
TY Marcia! Glad to read your feedback and to find out you read this post as part of your Sunday reading today… I like that and I wish more of our churches would add the subject to their rosters; especially the ones that like to spew hate and wrath… 🙁
Our loving God must sometimes wonder why they fixate on his Old Testament persona, instead of his beloved son’s message of love and peace in the New Testament…
I suppose that is why I love Joel Osteen; he always offers an uplifting, positive message of hope. 🙂
Oh, I’m ranting… you get my drift; I go where happiness lives. 🙂
TY again for stopping by!
Wonderful post, E!
My favorite quotes ~ “It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.” Dale Carnegie
“The reason people find it so hard to be happy is that they always see the past better than it was, the present worse than it is, and the future less resolved than it will be” Marcel Pagnol
When we are happy HERE . . . it’s usually a small thing that puts the smile on our face.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post and the quotes. Our attitude of joy in the here and now will determine our outcome… in most cases.
TY for your feedback! 🙂
Elizabeth,
I love this post. Happiness really is about the perspective that we have. Some people have much from the material standpoint, but are not happy, because something seems to be missing. Others have little when it comes to finances and material possessions, but are joyous souls, because they appreciate the blessings that they have. It’s up to us to decide whether we will see our lives through a lens of appreciation and happiness. Thank you for sharing this valuable insight.
Thank you Wyletter… I agree that our perspective and our sense of what we can do helps. I was listening to the presentations on TED today and one presenter made the comment about how poverty contributes to misery and unhappiness… We can’t ignore that even if we know poor people who are inherently happy…. It works both ways for sure. 🙂
You were in my head today my friend. I’ve had a week… literally one door closed and it seems several are opening. I attribute it all to gratitude.
Whether you are searching for riches or peace of mind the only sure path is through gratitude for what you have. It really makes sense when you think about it. More people should.
Thanks! loved this.
b
Thank you Barb… It’s been on my mind of late as I do believe that we open and close doors daily, and our choice to stay hopeful in the face of loss is very important. Gratitude is a big part of it. TY! 🙂
Happiness is not a destination… Without repeating everything everyone else has said …great post! Loved it!
TY Goz! Yes, that line has stayed with me all week… and I am grateful. 🙂
I’m so thankful for the inspirational posts you do on a daily basis. 🙂
TY Sharon and I’m thankful for yours… especially the humor and common sense approach you offer daily; very refreshing! 🙂
Great post!
Thank you for your comment! Much appreciated. 🙂
Finding happiness begins within, and how we look at life. I’m grateful for every day, and what each day brings. Great Post !! Inspiring as usual.
TY Penny! You are an inspiration too. I’m grateful for the connections I’ve made this year on the WP platform, and so, we are all beneficiaries of grace here… TY! 🙂
Recognizing what I have to be thankful for, even my most difficult lessons, has changed my life to an extent I can not explain. But its true…. so very true. Writing about my gratitude has been profoundly instructional.
Same here and that is the magic of sharing our wishes and our gratitude… Each day we uplift others through our blogs, we are doubly blessed and uplifted. Such profound instruction and a discovery that leaves me in awe of God’s grace. TY! 😉
I particularly like the Dale Carnegie quotation.
Very good post, something we should all consider when we are feeling unhappy because we didn’t get the new car, or the latest fashions, or the promotion or whatever!
I concur! It works like magic too because your attention is now focused elsewhere. 🙂
I love your quote – Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections. I think so often we look for perfection and don’t appreciate the things that aren’t perfect but are perfectly fabulous because they are not perfect.
Well said! If we get on with being present and living, we can find ways to move forward and find some pleasure in our lives… TY! 🙂