Daily Gratitude: Playing the “when” game is almost as destructive as the “what if” game. “I’ll be happy WHEN I lose 10 pounds”. Not to be morbid but what if you get hit by a car the day after your idol (the scale) pronounces that you’ve hit that magical (arbitrary) number and so today you should be happy. Suppose you get fired that day or have a big fight with your spouse. Are you happy? Did losing that 10 pounds negate all the lousy feelings and perhaps consequences of the fight or the firing? I bet not. That 10 pounds doesn’t seem to matter at all in the grand scheme of things. Instead, work on being happy now. Doesn’t the smile on your loved one’s face make you tingle and feel so blessed? Saying “hi” with a smile to a friend who is depressed might totally make their day. Isn’t that worth more than a number on the scale? “When I” is like tomorrow. It rarely comes and when it does, it’s immediately replaced by another “when”. Live your life in the now, not in the “when”.

Daily Gratitude: “How can this be?”you may be wondering? How can someone suffering from a terminal illness be happy? Personally I am not sure I could be, but I certainly want to try and learn from those who have achieved this. There are people out there who find happiness in everything they do even while knowing they are dying. I am always amazed and dumbfounded when I see these folks. What courage they demonstrate. Think about it though. And practice being happy every day. Use contrast if you have to. What person in some third world country wouldn’t trade with you right this minute? You have running water, a means of transportation that isn’t solely walking, a job probably, a house that most likely won’t fall over in the next bad storm. And yet for some reason that’s not enough for you to be happy? Make a concerted effort every day to find something that makes you happy and then cherish it. Hold it and caress it, don’t just look at it with a brief glance and then toss it away, searching for the next shiny object.

Daily Gratitude: Ever wish you hadn’t said “that”? That you were just so upset or angry that the words came out before you even knew it? One of the best talents we can develop is to “bite our tongues” so we allow the initial 90 seconds for the stress chemicals to dissipate. What if we could just keep quiet for 90 seconds? It seems so easy. Like nothing….until you actually see how long 90 seconds seems. How about this for practice- grab a timer or use your phone. Go into the bathroom or anywhere you have a mirror. Try to think of something that gets your dander up. If you can’t get worked up, that’s ok. Try this anyway. Set the timer for 90 seconds. Now stare at yourself and silently repeat a phrase that will help you such as “say nothing for 90 seconds”, “I can hold it”, “it’s only 90 seconds”. What you are practicing is to feel how long those 90 seconds are. It also may help you feel as if you can actually control yourself and that’s the goal. If you can also laugh about it, that will help change your mood as well. Try it!!