The Secrets to Happiness and Well-Being

The secrets to happiness, well-being, and resilience are LOVE, GRATITUDE, and PRESENCE. Love and gratitude are the most powerful emotions there are. Since 2013, I have intentionally practiced presence and expressing love and gratitude to completely transform my life. I went from being at the lowest point in my life in 2013 to living the best year of my life in 2014 and each year thereafter. This newsletter will focus on love and gratitude, and my next newsletter will focus on the power of presence.

As Tony Robbins mentioned in his morning ritual video Gratitude is the Antidote, it’s impossible to feel grateful and angry or fearful at the same time. According to Dare to Lead by Brene Brown, the one thing that people who can fully lean into joy have in common is that they practice gratitude. Gratitude is an actual practice. Happiness is the result of practicing gratitude, and not the other way around.

Here are 5 ways to practice gratitude: 

1. Start and end each day by thinking about all of the things you are grateful to have in your life – everything from big wins to the simple things we take for granted like the ability to use our 5 senses. There is no greater recipe for happiness and success than expressing gratitude.
2. Write down 5 news things you are grateful for every day in a journal.
3. Review and reflect on what you have written in your gratitude journal and share it with others.
4. Tell someone who made a positive impact on you why you are grateful for him/her. Watch this video on an Experiment in Gratitude.
5. Write thank you notes to tell people why you are grateful to have them in your life.

Here are 10 things I am most grateful for. I invite you to make your list and share it with those you are grateful to have in your life.

1. My faith above all else – This is what fuels my resilience and keeps me going, especially during setbacks and times of uncertainty and darkness.
2. My health – Without it, I can’t experience and enjoy what life has to offer, and I can’t help others. We must take care of ourselves first in order to be there for others.
3. My loved ones – My husband Jerry who changed my life for the better in every way and is the best partner I could ever have; my parents who made me the person I am; and my family and friends who have given me their friendship, love and support.
4. My dogs – They have taught me how to love unconditionally and are a constant source of joy, love, and laughter every day.
5. My clients – I have the greatest clients I could ever ask for. They give meaning and purpose to my life’s work and teach me something every day.
6. My business – It is the vehicle for living my life’s purpose by helping others grow and develop, and the means to financially contribute to our household.
7. My marbles – Without my mental faculties, I could not perform the work I do and get the most out of life.
8. My capacity for learning and growing – This ensures that I continue to evolve in my work and as a human being. Tony Robbins and others have said, “If we are not growing, we are dying.” 
9. My capacity for love and gratitude – They are the most powerful emotions we can experience. They are the reason for our human existence, and they fuel our connection to spirit.
10. My ability to control my thoughts and emotions. We can’t control situations that may happen in our lives, but we can always control our THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS and RESPONSES to what happens.

I wish you good health and much happiness throughout the rest of this year and beyond. May you live each and every day with love, gratitude, and presence.

“I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness – it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” – Brene Brown

“When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” – Tony Robbins

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