In the Happiness 101 class, we have a standing home “opportunity” (we don’t like to call it “work”) to do a an exercise that takes 2-3 minutes per day and has been proven to improve people’s happiness. Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology had a 94% success rate – and that was with people who were clinically depressed! This little, but powerful exercise is to simply write down three positive things per day. It need not be something you did or achieved – just anything positive. Here are some of mine from the last week:
I am glad my friend is still alive
I am grateful for respirators
I SO appreciate the doctors at the hospital
I am thankful for the doctor’s skill
I like the rain
I enjoy the sunshine
I stopped and experienced the wind on my face today
I am grateful for the compassion of friends
I am glad for the hair on my head
I appreciate that I can feel all of my emotions
I stopped and enjoyed watching my cat snore
I am glad my windshield is still in tact
I appreciate the library system
I am grateful that the second to my left pinky toe is healthy, happy and unbroken
I like that accomplished feeling I get after mowing the lawn.

What’s on YOUR gratitude list? Feel free to add something. The more the merrier.

~Frank