Daily Gratitude: “Your happiness depends on three things, all of which are within your power: your will, your ideas concerning the events in which you are involved, and the use you make of your ideas.”

This is a simple sentence describing a what it takes to have a successful life.

Your will is what will keep you going on a path that means the most to you. It will make you stronger because you won’t give up when things seem to he going poorly or maybe not even going at all. Once you have a desire, there isn’t much that can stand in your way if you employ your will.

Your ideas are kind of what makes you tick day after day. But the key part of the sentence is that it’s your ideas about events that are within your control. Having ideas about the weather or politics are not with spending time on and ideas about those things do nothing except make you angry, worried or upset. That accomplishes nothing.

What about “the use you make of your ideas”? Ideas about things that are in your control are exciting. Why? Because they are ideas that you can execute and through that execution , you can achieve your goals. Just that prospect alone can re-energize you.

You Have to take action. It does no one any good to sit around with fantastic ideas if nothing is done with them. Figure out how to put those ideas into motion and your happiness is sure to come to you. I will add that this applies to ideas that will serve other people. That’s the fastest way to happiness. Something may serve you but in order for it to be really powerful it needs to serve others in some way too.

Daily Gratitude: “The more you know yourself, the more patience you have for what you see in others.”

This is great advice and encouragement for each of us to spend a great deal of time getting to know ourselves. It’s one reason IFS (Internal Family Systems) has changed my life so much. That was how I really learned about myself and why I acted the way I did.

Teaching students about themselves could definitely be a very worthwhile required course in school.

Once you understand what’s going on inside, you begin to see things in other people with a clearer vision. It’s easier to become patient with others when you realize you’ve not been the perfect being you thought you were. You can accept that everyone is at different levels of growth and that growth is a process. You become more accepting and less judgmental.

Decide to be a deep sea diver and don your dive gear. Take the plunge into the depths of your inner being and discover the hidden treasures along with the monsters inhabiting your ocean floor. The discovery will be enlightening and enriching. I think you’ll be happy you did.

Daily Gratitude: “Of all possessions a friend is the most precious.”

This is so true and so applicable to my life right now. I haven’t been a very good friend lately and it’s taken a lot of meditation and reflection to realize it. My hope is that we both have learned something about the other throughout this time.

Even when there are disagreements and disappointments, it’s important to realize that sometimes your possessions just need to be dusted and maybe even rotated a bit to get better light on a certain aspect of it. If we don’t turn things around sometimes then we might not see all the beauty. It’s hard to see it all if we’re always looking at the same spot.

Same goes with our friendships. We need different perspectives at times. This helps us see all the fabulous qualities in the other person. Each person brings so much to the relationship but often we forget that because just as in life we get into ruts. It helps to stand on our heads (figuratively) to see what the other person brings to the venture when seen from a different point of view.

Never give up