Logan Pearsall Smith packed a lot of wisdom into a few words when he said: "There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second."
This quote is taken directly from Dale Carnegie's How To Stop Worrying And Start Living. This quote essentially reshaped my thoughts around my current position in life, have I been so ignorant to let the most beautiful things in my life go unappreciated after any length of time? Remember how happy you were to get your first job? You very likely become less grateful for your job after a certain length of time, until you adapt to it or resent it. We very often notice this paradigm shift happening but refuse to act upon it.
This is known as the Hedonic Adaption
The hedonic adaption states that humans are very likely to return to a "set" happiness level, despite any major events.
Now, what if there was a way to "manipulate" the hedonic adaption?
What if there was a way to increase our "set" happiness and be happier all the time?
There is a way, this is called gratitude
The Practice of Gratitude
Gratitude has multiple ways to be practiced and manifested into your life, arguably the most effective practice is a five-minute a week gratitude journal
Once a week, schedule a time to write for 5-10 minutes continuously without any distractions. Write down what you're grateful for, and get deep! Elaborate in detail why you're grateful for everything on your list. Get personal with your list and include specific events and people.
An effective practice when journaling is subtracting, reflect on what your life would be like without your current blessings. This often helps us not take our blessings for granted.
Practicing gratitude and journaling is the most effective way to shift our attention to the blessings in our life, changing our entire perspective making us happier and healthier.
