Self

How To Become The LUCKIEST Person You Know ... Instantly!

Photo: Reddit
happiness

Is my life perfect? ... Nope! 

I have arthritis, colitis and bad knees. I'd like to be thinner and more in shape, and I'd love to have a home at the beach (not happening in the foreseeable future). Sometimes things in my life go really badly. I get frustrated, disappointed and want to scream, cry, or do both. 

But I am still the luckiest person. 

Why? Because I am truly my own best friend.

Does that sound simplistic and trite? Stay with me on this. Because there's a secret about how to be happy that can also make you the luckiest person you know, too.  

I mean it — I love myself and my life. I am happy to be alive. And this is such a fabulous feeling for me since this wasn’t always true. 

I have fantastic friends and family, a job I absolutely adore, and four cuddly dogs who keep me busy. But, most importantly ... I love me. Exactly who I am. I have come to understand and believe that I am perfectly imperfect.

And, so are you.

I often ask people to make a list of all of their good qualities, or all the things they're grateful for in their life. Typically, this is a pretty short list (It’s often a real struggle for people to come up with five or six good qualities or positive items). 

But, when I ask people to make a list of all that is difficult, challenging or just not “right” in their life  the list is ENORMOUS!!  

We all tend to get caught up in the drama of the moment (FYI, that is NOT the same as “living in the moment”). 

Instead of celebrating our life and feeling joy in what we're already experiencing, we create mental lists of everything that isn’t going well. And at times, that list can be pretty overwhelming.   

This doesn’t mean that the list is incorrect. But, it does mean that our focus is off. 

Because the truth is — We are in charge of our own perspective. 

For every item on the “crappy” list, we actually have at least twice as many positives, but we've learned to take those for granted and skip right over them. We have developed a perspective of seeing the good only when it’s out of the ordinary.

We've lost sight of the small, ordinary moments of "good" sprinkled throughout our everyday lives.

The cool breeze that wafts over you just when you think you might dissolve into a puddle from the oppressive heat. The rain that nourishes the flowers. Eating a perfect bagel (or better, a perfect gluten-free bagel!) Seeing the stars. Even paying a bill. 

There are a thousands little actions that make up each day, and each one is an opportunity for gratitude and awareness.

That's how I started to notice how incredibly lucky I am. And that's how you can become the luckiest person you know, as well. 

When we start to pay attention to the long list of little moments that are going well, and meet them with appreciation, we begin to more fully love ourselves, our lives and live in the moment, instead of reacting to the moment (and what we think it lacks). 

When we start to love ourselves and live our lives in the moment, we begin to notice how very lucky we are

We start to smile more, notice the world around us, and begin to give precedence (perspective) to all of our little moments of success. 

No, we don’t ever lose our knowledge of what’s difficult. We simply don't give those bumps in the road so much weight. 

We start to see each unique moment, rather than the quick, negative overview. And that’s when we come to the most important realization of all — we're already perfect, even in our imperfection. 

I'm the luckiest person I know ... and you're the luckiest person YOU know ...  because we have the opportunity to (and the privilege of) truly living our one-of-a-kind lives. 

How awesome is that!?!

Dr. Kristina Hallett is a psychologist and shaman at Wisdom Healing. For more information on improving your perspective, and living the lucky life you’ve been waiting for, contact Dr. Hallett by clicking here

This article was originally published at Huffington Post Blog. Reprinted with permission from the author.