Information Related to "Putting Things into Perspective"
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Where is your focus in life? Is it aimed at the things that will make you truly happy?
It seems to be a habit of many of us to stop and reflect on what we are thankful for as we near Thanksgiving. In doing this, many of us made a daily post on Facebook last November, listing something for which we were thankful. While I was reading these posts, the one my son, David Treadway, wrote grabbed my attention and really said it all. Let me share it with you.
David wrote, "With Thanksgiving fast approaching I had to take a moment and reflect on things I could be appreciative of. It is true that I am no Albert Einstein with amazing intellect. I am no Warren Buffet with fabulous wealth. I am no Barak Obama with great power. I am no Brad Pitt with a perfect face. Nor am I a George Clooney with ridiculous fame. What I do have, however, is a great loving and supportive family. I do have the most beautiful and healthy children. I do have an amazing and supportive girlfriend. I do have great health (generally). I have a roof over my head, a job (a precious commodity these days) and a full pantry. My life, while peppered with troubles at times, is a good life and for that I am grateful. Take a moment friends and reflect too on those things which you do have that make your life feel pretty awesome."
David's point was that many times our thoughts are on what we do not have instead of what we do have. Reflecting on what we do not have only makes us depressed and unhappy. We all want happiness, but many times we focus on things that make us unhappy. Do material things make us happy? How about fame and wealth-do they make us happy?
Studies conducted in 1970 followed people who won the lottery for a year. A year after they won, these people were no happier than those who had not won the lottery at all! Why? Because they dropped back to their baseline of happiness (called "hedonic adaptation"), or back to the mood they were in before they won the lottery.
Psychology studies tell us that we each have a baseline level of happiness. Certain events take us above this baseline, and others take us below, but no matter how glorious or traumatic the event, we return to our baseline within months. Thus, each person is said to have a happiness set point, which is thought to remain constant throughout life.
This suggests that no matter what happens, good or bad, the effect on our happiness is only temporary; we tend to rebound back to our baseline level. Some people have a higher baseline of happiness than others. This can be attributed to genetics, but also to how we think. Can we all achieve a higher baseline of happiness?
Martin Seligman, one of the leading researchers in positive psychology and author of “Authentic Happiness ” , describes happiness as having three parts: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. Pleasure is the “feel good” part of happiness. Engagement refers to living a “good life” of work, family, friends, and hobbies. Meaning refers to using our strengths to contribute to a larger purpose. Seligman says that all three are important, but that of the three, engagement and meaning make the most difference to living a happy life.
So, being happy does not come from the things that all of us strive to find and keep? Nobody is happy all of the time, but some people are definitely more fulfilled than others. Studies on what make people happy reveal that it doesn't have much to do with material goods or high achievement; it seems to whittle down to our outlook on life and the quality of our relationships with the people around us. Only improving our outlook on life will improve our happiness.
My son David's comment reflected on what can make a person happy: being thankful for what you have, being content, having supportive family and relationships, and contributing to your job.
With that said, can we raise our set point of happiness and keep it there? And if so, how? Yes, we can, with mental training and God’s Spirit. Here are a few suggestions.
1. Be Content
The Bible clearly teaches us to "be content" no matter our circumstances. In Philippians 4:11 Paul said, “…I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:6-7 states, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”No matter what is happening. Pray about it and tell God your need.
2. Be Thankful
Have you ever noticed that when you are thanking God for what you have, your whole mind changes! It turns the depressed, negative feelings in your mind from despair to hope and peace. Psalms 92:1-5 says, “It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts!” (New International Version)
King David started by saying that it is good to praise the Lord. The difference between a person who is happy and the one who is not is the one who is full of thanksgiving. He sees the glass half full and not half empty. Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.” Thankfulness gives you peace of heart.
Romans 1:21 (NIV): "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” This verse clearly points out that by not glorifying God and not being thankful, you hope for worthless things. It causes your heart to be depressed and darken because you do not have those things. Above all, be a very thankful and grateful person.
3. Guard Your Thoughts!
We certainly cannot start with positive thinking without thinking about Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” (NIV)
We all struggle with ungodly thoughts, but controlling them and reminding yourself to think positive thoughts is extremely important and very necessary for a healthy, spiritually stable mind!
It is so hard to think positively in the negative, difficult world we live in. One can only listen to the news and you could easily find yourself plunged into an angry, depressed mood. I can tell you I struggle with it, so when I point the finger I have three pointing at me. Guarding your thoughts means focusing on positive things; prayers of thanksgiving and reading and watching positive things. Listening to uplifting music helps me. We should be looking for the best in others. And, as my son David mentioned, be thankful for what you have. Spiritual stability requires that we guard our minds, filtering out the negative and replacing it with the positive.
Those who are spiritually stable are thankful, content, and seek to guard their minds daily. They reach for the higher things in life, which may not include riches, fame, and power, but do include relationships with God, family, and friends. They are content and thankful for all that God has given them. They know and trust God to make it all work out. They have the right perspective. Thanks to my son David for the reminder to have the right perspective.
For more information on right perspectives in everyday challenges, request a copy of the free booklet Making Life Work .
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Keywords: thankful happiness content positive thoughts
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