Everyone has struggles in their lives. Job loss, grief, mental and physical illness. These things can make life seem unfairly cruel and much harder than it needs to be. But the secret to happiness is a simple one. You just need to change your perspective.
There’s a silver lining in all things that happen to us, or at least most things. A lost job brings you to an opportunity for an even better position, said opportunity that wouldn’t have crossed your path had you not lost your job in the first place. Seeing the silver lining in your struggles and hardships is the key to maintaining a life of contentment and happiness.
Gratitude is Powerful
Many of us will go about our days wishing things were different. Wishing for a better car, a better job, a bigger house, a better phone, and so on. But this is the fastest and most assured way to fill your life with bitter resentment and jealousy. Maintaining a positive attitude and being thankful for the things you do have is extremely important if you want misery to have less dominance in your every day.
By focusing on the positives, and those things that already bring you joy, you’ll find yourself comparing the state of your life with others less often. When you fill your life with gratitude, you’re less likely to resent the way things turn out.
Change Your Focus
When you spend all your time thinking about what you want that you don’t have, you’re putting your consciousness in a state of lack. For example, “I wish I had that guy’s car” when you already have a perfectly reliable, functioning vehicle. This just makes you resentful of the car you have, blaming it for your lack of happiness.
Instead of dwelling on this, shift your thoughts. “I’m glad I have a car to drive instead of having to take the bus”. This can apply to all aspects of your life.
When you let go of your resentments and accept the reality of your situation, you can start taking action toward the goals you have set for yourself. Having these goals and desires in itself is never a bad thing - goals help you advance. It’s when you berate yourself about not achieving them, or taking longer than your peers that you get stuck in a negative feedback loop.
Be thankful, accept it for what it is, and find the silver lining.
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