Optimism and Happiness with this Quick Strategy

This might be the most important thing you read all day. I’m not kidding :) Scientific research has found that there is something each person can do in their daily lives that will improve happiness, mental health, relationships, physical health, optimism, and decrease stress/anxiety/depression (R. Emmons, Ph.D., 2007). Sounds like the answer is going to be some complicated, time intensive, and expensive treatment, but it’s not. It can take as little as 5 minutes a day!

The answer is… cultivating gratefulness! Yes, CULTIVATING GRATEFULNESS, by focusing on what you're grateful for a little bit every day, can have all of those benefits and more.

There are several ways to cultivate gratefulness in your life. Here is my favorite:

• Buy a journal that is specifically dedicated to gratefulness. Every night before bed, write down two things you’re grateful for (they could be things that happened that day, or anything else you’re grateful for). Then spend 2-5 minutes mentally reflecting on one or both of the things you wrote down.

Get started on that tonight, and continue to do it every day. Fill a journal with things you're grateful for. Notice how your perspective, optimism and happiness is enhanced over time!