be happy with myself

How I did it: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46792541496

Do you laugh every single day?  I do.  Maybe not all day long (that would probably hurt my mouth).  But I do laugh at least 3x a day, if not more.

 

I've been fortunate enough to have wonderful people/pets in my life to help me stay happy & silly every single day.

 

Hopefully, so do you.  It's time to wake up and realize that YOU are blessed.  YOU are lucky.  YOU are awesome.

 

I'm going to pour my heart now.  I'm going to ask you to do something.  And as one human being to another, I'm going to ask you to TRY.

 

After all, don't you want to laugh at least 3x a day, if not more, just like I do?

 

 

So what do I have to do?, you ask.

 

I want you take a piece of paper and jot down 10 things you are thankful for.

 

Just do it.  The fact that you are on this second page means you are willing to TRY (remember?)

 

If you are having some trouble thinking of something to be thankful for, remember that even a homeless man can be thankful for the weather.

 

Actually, I have a story about that homeless man…

 

 

I met Dan on the E train in NYC.  At first, I was creeped out when out-of-nowhere, he started talking to me.  But as I was listening, I realized he was of no threat to me.  Plus, the subway car was full of people.

 

Dan said that he had once considered himself as "beyond repair" and had "lost all hope."  He was homeless, broke, hungry, and worst of all, he stank.  He said that "everyone looked at me but no one looked me in the eye."

 

Dan contemplated suicide often and one day finally started writing a suicide letter.  But on that particular day, Dan said that something was different.  The weather was sunny and some guy actually bought him coffee.

 

Dan said, "so I'm sitting on my cardboard, writing my suicide note, with a Starbucks coffee that this guy just gave me, thinking how ironic it must've looked, and man, it made me laugh."

 

He looked at his fancy coffee and realized that he was thankful for it.  He looked up at the sky and saw that it was a sunny day, that it could've been raining, but it wasn't---and he was thankful for that too.

 

Maybe after drinking his fancy coffee, he could use the cup as a coin cup, maybe get money for a donut, perhaps?  and that made him blurt out another chuckle.

 

Then at the end of our conversation he said, "…I had that pencil to write my suicide note; but I also had the eraser when you flip it over.  And I used it, too, to erase that letter.  And yeah, you could say I'm thankful for that too."

 

What was the point of that story?

 

 

The point is that EVERYONE including you has something (or maybe even everything) to be thankful for.

 

Be thankful for ONE thing, and it turns out you're also thankful for this thing, and that thing, and that other thing.  Gratitude has a snowball effect.

 

Be thankful for the people in your life, the animals, the trees, everything.  You'd be surprised what saying, "Thank you," (and really meaning it) can affect someone else.

 

Most of all, thank YOURSELF.  Give yourself some slack.  No matter what you have done in your life, YOU DESERVE TO BE HAPPY.  YOU ARE AWESOME.  I truly, truly believe that.

 

 

After this exercise, I want you to TRY and stay positive for the whole day.  This may be hard for some of you folks.  Just remember, anger is a choice.  It does not have to be an involuntary reaction.

 

YOU can choose to have good day!

 

YOU can choose what mood you are in today.

 

80% of our daily shit (take your pick: missed your bus, overslept, traffic, stepped in dog poo, etc.) shouldn't affect us the way we let it.  AND, it should never send us in a downward spiral for the day, or the week.

 

DON'T LET DOG POO RUIN YOUR WHOLE DAY.  You are bigger than dog poo.

 

 

At the end of your good-mood-day, whip out that list I asked you to make and review it before you go to bed.

 

If for some reason you reacted negatively to something today, read over the list anyway.

 

Take it easy, no one demands you to change in 1 day.  The key, is that you TRY.  (And please, try.)

 

Feel good about yourself.  The mere fact that you are on this site is HUGE.

 

Even if you never visit this page again, you've made a big step.  Be a happier person, and the people around you will be happier.

 

As one human being to another, with your help, we can change all of our lives---one grumpy person at a time.  =)

Lessons & tips: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46792541496

Resources: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46792541496

Oct 07, 2008, 06:56PM PDT | 2 comments | 9 cheers