Out and About STYLE Mag Issue 2 Vol. 2

us happy, we will be happier when we have our own house,
when we have more money, when we are slimmer, when we
have the latest car or the latest phone, or the salary hike or
that promotion and then when we get what we wanted, we
are happy for a short while and… until we are not. Then we
wonder what is wrong, why are we not happy?
Happiness comes from within you; you get to decide
what and who makes you happy. Things don’t make
you happy. Be happy and be grateful for what you have
already, not what you will get or achieve, or what you
‘think’ will make you happy.
Have you ever seen a young child playing with toys at
home or in daycare, perhaps this has been your child
or a friend’s child? Have you ever noticed that despite
giving the child the latest, the most expensive toy with
all the bells and whistles, after a few minutes of play with
it, all they want to do is take a kitchen pot or a pan and
a wooden spoon and bang the spoon on the pan and
be content with the noise it makes? It’s true, isn’t it? It’s
the simplest, most basic of things that entertain a child
at that age and they are happy, why? Because they don’t
know any better, or worse as the case may be!
What happened, or what changed as we grew into
adults? We want more; we want the latest gadget
because our friends have it, we want the latest designer
outfit because our competitor is wearing it, we want
to look like that person on that TV commercial or that
‘beautiful person’ on that fashion magazine cover.
The pressures, the standards and the expectations we
strive to achieve for ourselves and our loved ones!
There are some of us that started on this path of striving
for success (based on our own meaning of success that
is) for different reasons, myself included. But generally
speaking, we are so easily sucked into this worldly ‘wants’
of life and materialism, which is so beautifully portrayed
by large corporations worth trillions in their tantalising,
mouth-watering and enticing ads, that’s why they
manage to sell us both what we need and what we want.
Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with treating
yourself with ‘wants’ once in a while, the real question is,
do you have an awareness of your wants vs needs?
We sometimes forget to be happy and grateful for
what we already have and who we are. So let’s stop
comparing ourselves to others, let’s stop doing what
others do. Let’s stop buying into what others are buying
into. Listen to your inner self. Do what feels right for
you, do what feels good for you, be YOU!
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having
more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you
will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
Like most people, I used to be aware that I needed to
be more grateful for what I already have, what I had
already achieved, but there was always something else
that got in the way. I soon realised I was not alone; we
have all been there, we are all so occupied with the fast
pace of ‘doing’ life, that we forget to ‘enjoy’ life. We live
and do so much for the future that we forget to be really
‘present’ in the present.
So here are top seven gratitude hacks to try today:
1
PRACTISE GRATEFULNESS
Don’t just try and feel grateful, practise it -
pray, meditate, be happy, be appreciative,
making it a thing to do on your to-do list and
if you practise it every day, it will become a
habit, and over time it will become a part of
you. Start today!
2
QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY
It’s the quality of life that’s important, not
what you have, want or need. Who or what
do you have in your life today, and what if it
was not there tomorrow? Do you tell them
or appreciate them enough? Have you told
them this? Try it today!
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