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I am really grateful for many things in my life: like my health, my family, my job, the food, the air, my upbringing, people around me... But lately, I noticed that I'm grateful only for selective things and I'm a bit confused and sad about it. It happened that there is a person who did something for me what was really nice but that I didn't ask for it and I also need to admit that I didn't really want. However, the fact that the person dedicated a lot of time and effort into this I could at least appreciate. But somehow it felt wrong for me. Like lying. So, I preferred not say anything. However, the person noticed it and got disappointed. It's like someone gave you a gift that you don't really like but at least you can pretend that you would like it. Or the fact that someone is giving something to you. I was wondering if this was my ego who overruled my actions and I could not figure out how to change it. So, I decided to be really open about it and tell it to the person like I feel. That I'm ashamed that I can't be grateful for this. However, this was completely the wrong thing I realized as I put myself in a victim role and it didn't improve it for the other person. So, I'm just confused and I'm looking for answers how I can stop my behavior and be more grateful. In the past, I did a lot of gratitude practices like journaling, lotus of gratitude but somehow I stopped it because I had other priorities. I feel I need to restart them again. But I'm not really sure if this would resolve the situation. Did anybody else experienced something similar? If yes, can you share some advice?

I've been dealing with depression on and off, especially in these times! I read some article about practicing gratitude and writing a gratitude journal. It really helps me!

Hello @Yvonne, That's a complex and challenging situation. First, I'd like to differentiate between the situation you describe and an overall need to feel more gratitude. Regarding a gratitude practice, you have the tools and experience and if you are aware that it would be beneficial to dedicate more time to those practices again and make then a priority you already have given yourself all the answers. You can trust your inner wisdom. ? What I hear regarding the concrete situation you describe is that you do not want to receive the favour given to you and that's ok! You do not have to. Given our social structures and interconnectedness, rejecting a gift can be challenging as we also reject the social obligations that might come with it. Giving a gift and experiencing rejection is hard too that can be acknowledged and at the same time, resolving this for the other person is not your responsibility. Maybe that's something for you to consider. Perhaps your unwillingness to accept the gift and be genuinely grateful is that you do now want the expectations that might be connected to the present—the conditions under which it's given. A gift - like our love - is best given unconditionally, and in reality, it often isn't that easy. ❤️

Gratitude is so powerful but it's easy to forget to practice it ⛅️ Thank you for the reminder! It's great to think of new things we are thankful for too, makes us appreciate them even more and realise that good things are happening to us 🙏

Hey just be yourself try maintaining a gratitude journal and just write 3 things which you are grateful for that volunteer even be a cup of coffee u had in the morning life is easy don't complicate😇

Believe in your potential and in yourself. Look towards working on your capabilities and have gratitude for things you have in life. Rejection or acceptance is a part of life, it should not affect you or your state of life.

I like to start my day with a brief gratitude exercise and this motivates me throughout the day. For five minutes, I sit in silence with eyes closed. I start by first feeling acceptance for my present reality, no matter how good or bad it is, and slowly begin to think how worse everything could get as I am not entitled to anything. For 2 minutes I appreciate and give thanks to the Source that is responsible for supporting life every moment. And in the last minute, I thank the Source for a particular blessing, benefit I received a day before (for instance, salary coming in the bank, or paying off utility bills, or eating out etc). Ever since I came to realise that happiness is actually an effect, not cause, I have been passionately and actively trying to nurture gratitude. Happiness does not have power to create more happiness as it is just an effect or spent force that we spend in sensual pleasure. The result of indulging in happiness is distress because happiness is not a cause (seed). While gratitude or appreciation is the seed that creates happiness. Have you experienced this phenomena? Would love to know your views on this.

Hi AmbSamuel, you are heartly welcome, great to see you here! Do you have any specific questions? We are an open community which shares experiences, provides open minds, hearts and ears and cares about mindfulness, awareness, gratitude and everything else that can make our world a better place. Feel free to ask every question you got in your mind!

Gratitude is such a powerful one, it can really help you change your perspective and focus on the positive things in life 💚

Welcome to happiness Jeremie, we're glad you wanted to join our community ✨ I think many can relate to feeling unhappy with how they look, a lot of people struggle with body image issues. I think it's so important to try and focus on feeling better about yourself from the inside, and make your headspace a loving place to be. Look after yourself with nutritious foods, physical activity, but also by doing things that makes you laugh or puts a smile on your face. Personal growth and finding that self love and gratitude is a journey, and hopefully you can find our community a helpful tool. Feel free to check out the Academy and Magazine for courses and articles that you might be interested in. Have a great week! 🌈

Reality in it's purest form is nether good or bad, it just is. 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. So 90% of our emotional pain is created by US. "What we resist persists". If we are not at a place of acceptance over the things we are POWERLESS to change, we create more of what we don't want (emotional pain) Without sadness there is no happiness Without pain there is no joy Without bad days there are no good days Without darkness there is no light Everything is a DUALITY. This means one does not exist without the other. The key is to see the value in the things that appear to be negative. Example... How do you know when your having a bad day? If you had a bad day everyday, would it be a bad day? NO, it would be a normal, flat and boring day. So would I be right in saying, the only reason you know your having a bad day is because you've had a good day to compare it to? YES, it's the only reason why we know we are having a bad day it's because you had a good day too compared to. So how do you know when you're having a good day? If you had a good day everyday it would become normal flat boring. It would go to the same place as if you had a bad day every day. So the only reason you know you're having a good day because you had a bad day to compare it to. So the gift to having a good day is actually a bad day, because if I took away all your bad days you'd automatically lose all your good days. How you might ask? It's because if you was in in really high positive emotion every single day, that positive emotion would slowly fade gradually over time and the positive emotion would become normal flat and boring. No you can see the value in a bad day, you can then become grateful and happy to have a bad day. The gratitude and happiness changes the bad day and the resistance drops to it because you are leaning into it and not leaning away from it. It's not something you want to get rid of, it's something that carries a lot of value in your life. Imagine being a place where you can be grateful and happy to have a bad day? WOW "This is a very simple valuable tool" This analogy works the same with negative emotion. Every emotion carries value and purpose. if you can see the value in any emotion you can become grateful, happy for it and move towards it, which dropped the resistance and takes away 90% of the emotional pain ucreate. Do you agree or disagree?

@BeingBre hi, you seem like a wonderful, compassionate soul that has enough light to keep shining within yourself-nourishing your soul, while also shining your bright light on your partner to help guide her out of isolating and bringing her back to her self, her self-love, her gratitude and appreciation for your thoughtfulness as she sees your consistency and unwavering choice to be her partner in this and you two can grow much stronger as individuals and as partners. All relationships take effort and making the choice to keep showing up through the hard stuff as well as enjoying the easier, lighter times when we feel more connected. But it’s getting through the hard stuff together that makes our relationships so much stronger for it. Anyone can be there just for the easy parts, but when you really care, and I see you do, a real relationship blossoms from being there through everything. And the more she sees your consistent, unwavering loving kindness to her-the more you will draw her best self back out and her gratitude and appreciation will be abundant. Because she’s introverted apart from depression, you can ask her how can I help you? You can tell her you are not sure when she genuinely needs some time to herself to rest and replenish because she’s so exhausted to the bone, and ask her to help you know the difference and how you can help her feel connected to you. Sometimes if the depression is bad, she just might not be able to find the words or she might subconsciously pull back with wrong guilty feelings of being a burden to you, I’ve experienced both of those myself. Things got so much better for my husband and I when he finally stopped showing resentment for me and saying hurtful things that rightfully made me feel like a burden. And none of us want to feel like that. When my husband gave up on me, when my friends gave up on me, I gave up on myself and there was nowhere good for me to go from there. But, when they learned what my illness really is and what it is not, and showed up and showed up with so much love and friendship, it gave me wings to fight my illness and its symptoms harder and harder and never stop fighting to live my best life and work past it all to nurture my relationships with those few that I saw were Really there for me. I know it’s tough, but do not take any of it personally- remember it’s an illness, not her fault and some things with this illness are always going to be out of our control. Also, she may not understand a lot of what’s going on with her. I didn’t with myself for so many years and that in itself is scary. I have faith in your strength, you seem a lot more emotionally intelligent than my dear husband. And as you both learn more about how depression affects her, what triggers it, what generates Seratonin-the good feels and joy and also calm for her-the more knowledge that is had and communicated, the less doubt you will have and less fear of the unknown, plus the more faith you will have in your future together. Having friends and family to support in the ways they can is wonderful, but no one really gets it unless they have gone through it themselves- so I am always still here as a friend to help you or both of you with all that I have learned and all of the tools that I keep in my daily practice, plus the mental strength and resilience that I did not have before but I cultivated. You can even inbox me any time.

This morning, I decided to weigh myself, got on the scale, finally after running for some weeks. LOL. I had gained about 8 pounds, now the goal was to lose 8 pounds. I kept going over my calories. I tend to be overly concerned about things I can't change, instead of focusing on the things I can. Anyway, I decided to shift my mindset from disappointment to gratitude. I lost the weight before I can lose it again. I also did not gain back all the weight I lost. That is something else to be grateful for. I thought about how I looked and felt late 2019, I smiled. I still have time to get the rest of the weight off this year. There was a time when subconsciously I would shame myself but today, I decided that I would not waste my time torturing myself. I also decided to think about my choices and focus on the now.

Practising gratitude is definitely a vital part of happiness 🌈

People who believe in happiness constantly practice gratitude are the one to be here

Hi, I'm new to this. I meditate regularly (primarily mindfulness meditations) and I also do visualizations and affirmations. I practice gratitude too. I'm looking for people with growth mindset who are on their journey to self-actualization. Let's talk here :) one love

My journey into being more present was through MBSR. First, I did the course myself, and after looking back at the profound effects, it had on my personal life, I decided to become a teacher so I can share this. (You can find the course for free here in our academy) Looking back, there are several keys in my journey. First, I learned about the nature of thoughts and that I didn't have to believe them. Second I realized that I could influence where my attention goes and third I began to allow the present to take up more space in my consciousness. Especially gratitude - These days I realize that the more I end up in ruminations about the past or future the more I suffer (learning from experiences and planning for the future are fine though). When I focus on what is REAL, what is around me, which threats are present not imaginary, and then take in the good that surrounds me with gratitude, my life becomes much more relaxed, lighter, joyful, and I become kinder and more understanding yet clear in my boundaries.

I went through something that made me feel similar to how you describe, and what eventually worked for me (as simplified as it sounds) was to choose every day to be positive, to be in a good mood, and to be happy. It didn't/doesn't work every single day, and some days it took a looot of effort, but I really felt like I didn't want what had happen to take away that happy/positive side of me. I did things that made me feel good, that made me laugh, and things that I knew was good for my body and my headspace. I focused on myself, my wellbeing, and practised a lot of gratitude - for example finding 3 things to be grateful for each day. I hope this can be helpful, and look forward to seeing other suggestions and advice on how to overcome a struggle and find happiness again ?

Hi, David. You're definitely not alone! I often a take social media hiatus for the same reason. It elevates my states of dissatisfaction and I go days and weeks without feeling good, especially the Instagram devil haha As soon as I take a break though, I notice how I slowly begin to open up and blossom again and live in gratitude rather than fear, frustration and lack. I, too, rely on social networks to communicate with my friends and family as most of them are scattered all over the world, so I can't ignore it completely, but it helps me a great deal knowing there are other platforms I can visit to replenish my soul needs ☺️ I'm so glad you've joined us and find this community helpful. If you haven't already done so, may I suggest browsing the happiness Academy? There might be a course or two that interests you. Some of them are free I look forward to hearing more from you in the days and weeks to come.

At the dawn of the third decade of the 21st century, the existence of humankind has become highly perilous. We are cutting down our forests, exhausting our fresh water aquifers, and losing our vital top soils. We are stripping the life from our oceans and replacing it with hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste. We are flooding our environment with toxic industrial chemicals. Our pollution is driving climate change that causes heat waves, droughts, and wild fires that shred the fabric of life on the continents. And we are bringing new generations into the world, millions who require access to the resources of a dignified existence. The scope and breadth of the threats to life are increasing day after day. This is not a sustainable mode of development.Goodreads, alexis karpouzos official siteThe root cause of our ills stems from a mistaken way of thinking. What exactly does this mean? it means that we have been thinking of ourselves mainly as material beings, while denying our spiritual nature. Because we think that we exist as material beings and nothing more, we place first importance on protecting our bodies from harm and prolonging our material existence. Our spiritual nature, if considered at all, is treated as a secondary aspect of our physical being—something not to be taken seriously. To us, the only things that matter are the phenomena that appear in the material world—things that can be seen, or heard, or touched, or measured, but we know that our senses deceive us, the senses are a construction of the brain. What we consider a real world is an illusion. The domination of the positivist and materialist thought leads to irrationality and destruction.IMDB, alexis karpouzos official siteYet where has this approach led us? Has it brought us a sense of happiness and fulfillment? Rather than living each day in a spirit of joyful cooperation, with our hearts filled with bright hope and happy anticipation, we have isolated ourselves from others and viewed them as rivals or enemies. Our thoughts are flooded with suspicion, fear and greed, leading to an endless cycle of war, poverty, starvation, and environmental destruction. Unless we wake up soon and pay attention to our spiritual nature, there will be no future for humanity on Earth.Words are life. Words are light. Words are power. Words are energy. Words are truth. Words can enliven and words can also kill. Words can give hope, or plunge us into despair. People use words to build peace, and use words to make war. Words can create walls between cultures, religions, and nations. And words can also build bridges. The existence of an individual, a family, a community, a country, and our planet is being led to good or to evil through the power of the words we speak. The words we speak are responsible for everything that happens in this world. We, therefore, must be responsible for the words we speak. On behalf of future generations, I hope that each of us will do all we can to speak only bright, light-filled words, so that one day, our descendants will be born into a world filled with light. There is no time to lose. Starting at this very moment, I hope all of us will take a close look at the words we have been using and make constant efforts to fill them with brightness.Amazon, alexis karpouzos official site No one is going to change our lives for us. No one is going to change the world for us. It is time for each of us to recognize the prodigious, creative power that is unleashed by each word we speak, and to consciously speak only words filled with gratitude, encouragement, and good intention. From this moment forward, let us choose words that resonate with love and forgiveness for ourselves and others. We can certainly do it if we take just one step forward. One step at a time, one word at a time, we can uproot the germs of tragedy and of isolation in our consciousness and convert them into waves of happiness and conciliation. For the sake of ourselves, for the sake of Mother Earth, and for the sake of future generations, let us use words that contribute to the positive evolution of humankind on Earth. alexis karpouzos, visual art1.mp4 alexis karpouzos_ The world in the flames.mp4

I read this article and it really resonates with me! I think it's soooo true that happiness is something we have to choose and 'create' for ourselves rather than waiting for external factors to 'make us happy'. One of the things mentioned is how happiness is linked to gratitude, and I think that can be so helpful. When life feels shitty, focusing on the positive things in your life can really help with your mindset. It can be really hard on certain days, but if you practice regularly, it will get easier to find positive things to be grateful for. I've heard that it's a great way to start the day. Before even getting out of bed think of 3 things that you are grateful for, and you're supposed to start the day already with a more positive feeling. What are your thoughts on choosing happiness and focusing on gratitude?

Years ago I began to struggle with recurring depression. I read books, went to therapy, and tried many things to get myself out of it. Over time, I discovered that there were many things I could do to feel better, but I would often just forget (or not want to do them). So I made myself the "I don't feel good and want to feel better" checklist which I could refer to when I felt badly. I've never shared it before, but figure this might be a good place (sorry it's super long - I was going to attach it as a pdf, but couldn't attach pdfs here) The "I Don't Feel Good and Want to Feel Better" Checklist Oftentimes, when you don’t feel good, you have a hard time listening to the positive voice. As a result, you may be tempted to think that "something is wrong” - with your life, with your relationships, or maybe even with the world. Before jumping to the conclusion that you need to quit your job, abandon your partner, or go hide in a bunker, review this list to see if there’s something more internal that you can do first. * Have I had good posture recently? (TED talk Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are) * Has the rest of my physiology been positive? (facial expressions, type and quantity of movement) * Have I done anything that gets me moving in an excited / animated way? (dancing, a sport I like, etc) * If I’ve been doing anything that’s been negatively stressing myself, can I be a little kinder or more gentle to myself in some way? * Are there any things (responsibilities, etc) that I’ve been taking on myself that really aren’t mine (either because they’re unnecessary, impossible, or belong to someone else)? * Have I gotten enough sleep? (quality and quantity) * Have I eaten mostly healthy food recently? (lots of vegetables and low sugar) * Have I had enough water to drink? (impacts mood, fatigue, etc) * Have I exercised recently? (worked up a sweat, did some resistance training) * Do I have any physical pain or soreness that I need to handle? (foam rolling, other) * Have I been meditating regularly? (or doing a meditative activity) * Have I regularly been doing an intentional gratitude practice? * Have I been outside in the sun and fresh air? * Do I remember Why I want to be positive and have I pondered that regularly? (Simon Sinek - Start with Why) * Even if I am planning to leave or change my current situation, have I fully accepted the present moment exactly as it is? (Eckhart Tolle) * Have I been doing breathing exercises regularly (Wim Hoff)? * Have I chosen an exciting purpose or a goal that I’m moving toward? * Can I just consciously make the choice to be positive? * Have I been having fun and enjoying things without being too serious? (Listen to music, eat good food, etc) * Have I remembered that challenges are actually good in the long run, and therefore not allowed myself to get upset by things I perceive as making the world worse?

Hello everyone. My name is Navy and I just joined this community. I am a seeker of light, and all things spirituality. If anyone likes a good read, I would check out, “The Power of Now,” by Eckhart Tolle. its important to be present, and I can’t stress that enough. We are so stuck in our heads about the past and future. But all we have is now. If we aren’t creating the lives we keep envisioning for ourselves now, the future will always be just these thoughts without the actions of putting what we want into action now. Time is an illusion, and we are more powerful then this illusion. we must be mindful of our thoughts and actions. Enjoy the little things in the now. Look at what is around you. Focus on your senses, be full of gratitude. if anyone is interested in having deep conversations, wants someone to talk too, whether it’s just to vent, or for advice, or just to explore ideas back and forth, I am here for you all. stay mindful. Focus on your life path. Find yourself. You are not alone. We can do this together. Stay present, and always be the best version of yourself, for you should want to be the change you want to see in the world. You have a purpose. you are more than your thoughts. Let’s embrace our inner soul and manifest the life we desire. all love, Navy☮️

I am with my family, and we have a garden. We are short on toilet paper, and there's no flour, milk, nor pasta in the supermarkets. We can work from home and so far our salaries are not affected too much. Every day when I check the news, I feel so much gratitude for the privileged situation we are in. Nevertheless, I do feel anxiety creeping in now and then. Then it sits with me like a bad taste. I am worried about my parents who live several hours away by themselves, and I won't be able to see them any time soon. And I am concerned about all the people out there who are affected directly and harshly by the virus. I donate money, order from little shops and participate in online events of all sorts, but I also do get overwhelmed.

I always wanted to know the habits that entrepreneurs followed to make most out of the day. Thus I asked 82 entrepreneurs who worked in different sectors, countries and were at different stages of business, to share a habit they followed to be at the best shape, and this revealed the following 8 habits. I have listed habits with the percentage of entrepreneurs endorsing them: Listening - 3.7% Gratitude - 4.9% Reading - 6.1% Proactiveness - 8.5% Perseverance - 11.0% Meditation - 11.0% Morning Routine - 18.3% Planning - 22.0% Both Planning and Morning Routine - 3.7% Other Habits - 11.0 % Though it can't generalize the lifestyle of entrepreneurs throughout the world, as we must respect the degree of randomness. This short survey concluded that entrepreneurs prefer to getting a positive start of the day and give weightage to planning to face the daily grind. If you want to read details, list of entrepreneurs, and infographics, you can visit: https://www.goodvitae.com/8-habits-for-entrepreneurs/