One Week Down

It's been a week of cultivating gratefulness and I don't feel much different, haha! It's OK though, I didn't expect to feel a change over night.

Some conclusions I've drawn, thus far, seem to all relate to the 'hedonic treadmill.' I was able to put a name to this idea after watching the documentary, "Happy." The Hedonic Treadmill or adaptation, according to Wikipedia,  is the supposed tendency of humans too quickly return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite major positive or negative events or life changes. According to this theory, as a person makes more money, expectations and desires rise in tandem, which results in no permanent gain in happiness.

In real life, or to apply it to mine, I was always falling captive to this idea without even knowing it. I'd buy a sweater, and before I knew it I needed the boots and earrings to match. I'd go get a manicure and I'd leave with pedicure, manicure and a wax! I'd go out for a drink and I'd end up getting appetizers or dinner! It was a vicious cycle that I didn't realize I was participating in. I would 'buy buy buy' and for what? I didn't even feel any better, if anything I felt worse, because I felt guilty for spending.

I think after my trip to Belize and seeing how they were so happy and survived on just the basic necessities, PLUS realizing how much I already have, I am slowly starting to release myself from that negative cycle.

So, what am I thankful for on Day 8? I'm thankful for commitment. My ability to stick with something I start has helped me throughout life. I started a project, I finish. I joined a team, I played. I agree to make plans with a friend, I keep them. I stand by my word. I decided to embark on 365 days of gratitude, and I'm doing it. By committing myself to something bigger than me, I hope to continue to find patterns, whether good or bad, that I can embrace or break, respectively.  By committing myself to this blog I hope to find a greater understanding of what it means to be happy, and to see that the people who are happy don't HAVE the best of everything, they MAKE the best of everything they already HAVE.

boom.