Everyone wants to be happy; this desire is what naturally drives us through each day.  Most people, however, take the wrong roads and only find fleeting happiness.  For the next seven days we will look at seven simple (although some are not easy) things we can all do which will increase our happiness.

1. Count your blessings:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits.” Psalm 103:2

This is a radical idea in a world where complaining is a full time occupation. To have an attitude of gratitude is going against the flow of the human tide, but it is to move towards what is true and good.

Each of us has many good things in our lives that we never think about: sight, hearing, hands that work marvelously and feet that support us, to name a few.  Each morning the sun comes up; each night it gets dark giving us time to rest.  Most here have clothes to wear and food to eat along with a place to sleep. Most of us can read and write. Most of us have some friends, the ability to share with them. Each of us have something that we are good at. And the list goes on. When you are tempted to complain, tell yourself ten things you ae thankful for.

We reinforce this when we are driving by playing the “alphabet game.” One of us starts with A, naming something we are thankful for that begins with the letter A. Then the other takes B, and so on. We always end up being more positive when we are done.

So stop complaining and start thanking, and watch your happiness increase.

Picture: Being thankful