The Alphabet of Happiness: P

I hope you found yesterday’s post regarding Opportunity and Organization to be helpful. If you just joined this journey, be sure to take the time to go back and read from the beginning. Without delay, let’s get to it and discuss the letter “P”.

Pride and Perspective

Pride

This isn’t about being prideful, most commonly used in a negative way. Instead, we’re talking about thinking, acting and taking pride in yourself. Even though the word pride can be used in both a positive and negative way, for the sake of this article, we’re discussing the positive and endearing definition of pride.

What does that mean exactly? The word pride is noted as having been used as early as the 13th century. Pride is defined as:

• a reasonable and justifiable feeling of being worthwhile (self-worth),
• a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people (self-respect),
• a feeling of happiness that you get when you do something good, difficult, etc. (self-esteem).

What is common in each of these definitions? The word used is “self.” The defining commonality is about you and you alone. Having pride in yourself has absolutely nothing to do with someone else. This isn’t based upon the opinions of others or their approval. And this isn’t about comparing yourself to other people. This is all about you!

In my own life, I know that I am my own worst enemy. I am my harshest critic. I compare myself to others and thus judge myself. Does this resonate with you? To some degree, we all do this. It’s so important to learn how to stop doing this.

Take pride in yourself and what you have accomplished.

Take pride in the realization of the many obstacles and struggles you have overcome. Have and be proudful of who you are. There is no one else like you and therefore you don’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. In an another article titled, “Depression: Give Yourself a Break,” we look at ways to provide ourselves with some relief and why.

I’m going to challenge you to take some time and think about the many reasons you should be proud of yourself. On a piece of paper, write down all of the challenges and obstacles you have overcome in your life as well as your personal achievements. This is hard to do when you’re feeling unhappy and depressed. So, wait for a day when you aren’t trapped and buried in those feelings.

I’m proposing and challenging your way of thinking. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you are able to write down on your piece of paper. Then, place this paper somewhere accessible and in a location which is easy to remember. Refer back to your list as often as possible to help you remember that you have a lot of reasons to have pride in yourself. Don’t punish yourself for what you haven’t done, focus on what you have done!

Perspective

What does it mean to “keep things in perspective.” It is the ability to understand what is important and what isn’t. Have you ever heard of the term, “perspective-taking?” Wikipedia states, “perspective-taking is the process of temporarily suspending one’s own point-of-view in an attempt to view a situation as someone else might.”

What are the benefits of perspective-taking?

Simply put, abundant and life-changing happiness! When you can learn how to put things in your life in perspective, you begin to realize just how well you are doing. You begin to notice that your life and your situation isn’t nearly as bad as you imagined. You begin to feel both gratitude and thankfulness. You will feel so much better!

How can you cultivate perspective-taking in your life? Listed below are some suggestions for you to try as you look at how to view your life and others in another point of view.

1. Help other people. Whether you volunteer your time and talents in a way to help others or you simply offer to assist another individual, go help other people.
2. Spend time outdoors (with mother nature). Mindfully look and observe at the many organisms, plants, and animals to be found around you. Notice the majestic beauty all around you. Breathe deeply and savor everything.
3. Cognitively place yourself in someone else’s shoes. Engage in the cognitive act of comparing your situation to someone who is also struggling. What if it were you? What would you do? What could you do? How would you want to be treated?
4. Make a list of all the things for which you are thankful. You will soon discover that you have much to thankful for where others may have very little.

These are just four ways to put your life in perspective. I’m sure you can think of many others. What’s important is to do them. Never lose sight of where you are and how far you have come.

Feeling proud of yourself and looking at your situation from another point of view will help you maintain your pace along the path to happiness.

As we continue this journey together, I encourage you to keep reading. If you have yet to find your own how or why to happiness, I strongly believe you will. Please come back tomorrow as we explore the letter “Q”.

Copyright © Julie Corbett 2017