The ONE Thing You Need To Get Happy!

Hey there! Those of you new to the Raising Wellness Community---WELCOME and a big warm hug to you. Veterans thank you for being here + practicing whole, well, and RISING wellness with us! Today's topic is ONE OF MY FAVORITES. It is where I began digging myself out of my huge wound of depression. It is where my life started changing, and shifting, and growing forward. If you struggle in those same areas as I did, finding yourself feeling hopeless, lost, frustrated, overwhelmed, depressed, avoidant, uninspired, unmotivated, or lonesome my hope is that in sharing this ONE SPECIAL thing will do for you what it has done for me...shifted my entire world towards happiness again. 

So what is it?

It is GRATITUDE. GRATITUDE. GRATITUDE.

I know this seems to be a HOT word right now, but it is for a reason. It seems the world has forgotten what true happiness is and where it starts. We are always chasing outwards objects, people, places, money, and experiences while the greatness of being and the truest, most joyful expression of you starts WITHIN.

Honestly, it is not magic. Take this moment to think about what you focus on everyday. Does it look something like this?

1. "I hate going into work. I just want to sleep in"

What if instead you said, " I am so grateful I had a bed to sleep in last night and I am so grateful how comfortable it is."

2. "I shouldn't eat that. I am going to get fat."

What if instead you said, " I am so grateful to have food in front of me and to be able to make healthy choices for myself."

3. "I can't afford to go out to eat."

What if instead you said, "I am so grateful to stay at home and cook something awesome."

These are just a few examples, but are you seeing a trend here? In every instance YOU CHOOSE where you focus your energy. YOU CHOOSE what vibration you emit with what emotion + thought you decide to feel and think. In every instance there can be negativity or positivity. You choose which to focus your attention on, base your actions from, and claim as your truth. No matter where you are YOU always choose where you focus and what you put your energy into.

Want to know some cool science behind all of this? Yeah, there's science!

"Two psychologists, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, have done much of the research on gratitude. In one study, they asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics.

One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation." Harvard Health Publishing

So you see both sorrow and optimism are available to you, but YOU CHOOSE your focus. If you have been feeling, hopeless, lost, frustrated, overwhelmed, depressed, avoidant, or lonesome now is your time to MOVE AWAY from focusing on those feelings and to know that it is possible to begin feeling better. Start NOW to cultivate a GRATITUDE mindset.

Below I have created a video sharing my journey with gratitude and THE FIRST real life experience I had watching it totally shift my day in an instant---I was astonished honestly. I have also created a FREE 7 Day "Practicing Gratitude" Challenge E-book HERE to help you get started with bringing a practice of gratitude into your life! I hope my experience will be an example for you to understand that this is REAL, not just some HOT word/trend right now.

Gratitude has real power and can be the turning point to moving your life forward positively once you start practicing.

Join the Raising Wellness Gratitude Community for support on your gratitude journey!

And may many blessings + realizations flow to you. Love Always, Shelby