Cheese Begins with "G"

What? You don't believe me? Well YOU'RE wrong.

Image courtesy of Fiorre

After a whole week off from the blog-o-sphere (almost), I'm back! AND I'm starting up a new set of memes: Motivational Mondays--come get your weekly dose of awesome, and Fun Fridays--because everyone needs cheese. Occasionally I might throw in a Wednesday for my writing friends/book reviews that are amazing fruit and deserve a bright, shiny spotlight.

And now on to business...

The other day I took a look through my facebook friends. I sat there, one happy memory after another bursting over me as I viewed face after face. I can't even remember how I became friends with some of them, but I love them all. My heart was filled with gratitude. =)

For those of you who were with me through the A-Z challenge (*waves*), you get that cheese is imperative to happiness, right? And that was my theme for the bloghop--How to Find Happiness from A-Z. (Check it out if you haven't. It was awesome.)

G is for Gratitude, and I issued a gratitude challenge to record 5 things a day you're grateful for, for 1 month. Did you try it? I did!

There's my list. =)

It seems I'm most grateful for family/relationships, technology, and cheese. (Surprise, surprise.)

What is it you found/find yourself most grateful for? And what are you grateful for today? 

How to Find Happiness A-Z: Z

Zeee END! 

After this month of awesome I'm going to Zzzz land. What will you be doing?

Essentially, I'll be catching up on sleep, eating at a table instead of computer, and adding to my WIP (work in progress). Between beta reading, editing, and pre-publishing excitement, I'll be here once to twice a week--and I hope to find you here.

So what does that have to do with happiness?

All good things must come to an end. The rest, or Zzzz's, that result from a job well done are a part of the process. We have to take the time to sit back, rest, and appreciate what we've accomplished. This last month I've made so many new blogging friends, rubbed shoulders with old ones, and experienced so many laughs, smiles and memories. Thank you everyone who participated, and all my wonderful new friends and followers. YOU ARE AWESOMESAUCE!!!

If you missed any of the awesome, here's your shortlist to get up to speed.

How to Find Happiness through:

A: Attitude

B: Belief

C: Communication

D: Determination

E: Education

F: Friends

G: Gratitude

H: Humor

I: Integrity

J: Jumping

K: Kindness

L: Listening

M: Music

N: Novels

O: Organization

P: Perspective

Q: Quality Time

R: Respect

S: Smile

T: Trust

U: Unique

V: Values

W: Work

X: X Marks the Spot

Y: You

Z: Zzz and Enjoy

I'll see you back here May 6th to close out the Gratitude challenge. What? You missed that one? Check it out with letter G. 

Here's a huge wedge of cheese to all you A-Zers who made it to the end. You are awesomesauce! Will you continue posting every day? Why/why not?

How to Find Happiness A-Z: G

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

Which is it? Half full or half empty?

In my first post on happiness, we talked about attitude. Well, this is part two.

The Attitude of Gratitude.

One of my favorite books as a kid was It's Not Easy Being a Bunny. Even if I didn't love rabbits (which I did), I would have loved this story. PJ Funny Bunny is so fed up with his life--his hundreds of siblings and having to eat cooked carrots every night--that he decides to hit the road and find a better family.

He joins a family of bears, moose, possums, birds, beavers, and finally skunks before realizing none of them are right for him. At the end of the story he gratefully runs back to his family, embracing all their eccentricities and foibles.

I think we're often like PJ, too close to the wallpaper to see the amazing pattern. If we can step back to appreciate the unique beauty that defines our lives, we'll find the insight to appreciate even the difficult times. In an effort to find the good during rough patches, I often rely on my journal. At the end of each day, I take ten minutes, think about everything that happened, and find a few things to be truly grateful for. As with all good habits, gratitude takes training. It really is an attitude, and practice makes perfect.

AND, a little known secret, the grateful ones are the ones who receive the most.

At least in my family, the kid who's the most grateful is the one who tends to get spoiled the most. Writers who express their thanks for a follow or book purchase are viewed in a brighter light. Friends who thank me for my time are the ones I'm inclined to invest the most time in. Think about it.

Gratitude really is one of the key proponents to finding happiness, so are you brave enough to take the challenge? Will you join me for the next month, recording 5 things you're grateful for each day? Meet me back here on May 6th to chat about our discoveries! *rubbing hands in anticipation*

And in the meantime, go eat some cheese, eh?