When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, he included the phrase, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Happiness is a state of mind that has occurs when things are going right in our lives. There are moments in our lives when we are happy. They can last hours, days, weeks and if you're lucky, you can feel happy and content for months. That’s a good thing, but eventually, it will run out. Given the choice of being happy 24/7 or being happy sometimes and going through struggles the other times, which would you pick? If you break that down the statement from the Declaration of Independence, one can assume that we, as human beings have life and liberty, but what about happiness? Is it always a pursuit? Will we ever reach a place in our lives where we will be completely happy with who we are?
Throughout my life, the number one thing I have seen that people want in their lives is to be happy. That answer pops up more than anything else. It is true in my life and I bet it is true in yours. People want less stress in their lives. They want to live a fulfilling life. The meaning of my life is to help others. With this ultimate goal in mind, I decided to help people by bringing them happiness. The first step for me was to do some research. What makes people happy? You don’t have to do many Google searches to find out that a new branch of psychology has sprouted over the past decades called Positive Psychology. All over the world, a few doctors, professors, and researchers in psychology have stopped looking at what makes humans sad and the medicines to cure it. They have begun to look at what makes people happy. The answer is to show more gratitude in your life. For me, gratitude was very simple. I’ve experienced it my whole life on the fourth Thursday of every November. Before Thanksgiving dinner, the family would gather and share their answers. The same answers always seemed to appear: Health, Family, and Food on the table. In my Catholic secondary middle school, for three years, we would give thanks before lunch. It was something that was automatic to me. I put no feeling behind them. I decided to take another long look at gratitude. Researchers have said that keeping a Gratitude Journal is one of the most effective ways to be happy, especially in the long-term.
As I looked into gratitude journals in the market, some had dates, some had quotes, and most contained empty pages full of lines for the user to fill out. A few select had questions for the user to answer. This was not enough for me. I wanted to see if there was a gratitude journal as diverse as my life, to take me by the hand through research-based strategies, step-by-step, day-by-day. Since I couldn’t find it, I decided to create one. My book, The Ultimate Happiness and Gratitude Journal is based on one year. It contains more than 365 different questions, assignments, and reminders that if completed with precision, will increase your happiness. I invite you to start your journey on fulfillment and happiness. It is a decision you will never regret. If you are ready to take the ride of your life. Allow The Ultimate Happiness and Gratitude Journal to take you on a journey of self-discovery, while helping you build habits that can change everything in your life so that you can experience true and long-lasting happiness.
