One Recipe For Success That The Censors Don’t Allow

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for. “

-Zig Ziglar

Tell your story.

I don’t have all the answers. No one does.

All those gurus? Just like you and me.

That’s okay.

“Every day, think as you wake up: Today I am fortunate to have woken up. I am alive. I have a precious human life. I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry, or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.”

-Dali Lama

Gratitude and compassion are two sides of the same coin. Also, they are super boring words.

But they may lie at the heart of what it means to be human, and what it means to cultivate happiness.

Happiness just doesn’t show up out of the blue (well, sometimes it does) but like any other practice you arrive at happiness occasionally through discipline. Regardless of how disciplined you are, you will also find misery, sadness, and sickness.

That is simply how the circle of life and death works.

Occasionally we find happiness, occasionally we find sadness, but most of the time we are busy doing things. Making a living. Creating a life.

In those times, we can be content or discontent. The difference is mind-blowing.

If we are content, it shows in how we work and play. If we are discontent, it also shows very plainly.

I look at my writing 13 years ago and I can see a very discontented and confused young man.

That is okay. It is just part of the circle.

In all the time that has elapsed since then I have worked on mindfulness, being in the “flow”, cultivating happiness, and all of these things. They all make a difference, they all matter.

In the end though, we have to stop searching and seeking and we have to find peace where ever it is that we are, because really that is where we will be in the future — right where we are.

For the majority of our lives we are right where we are, regardless of where we go or what we do. The only constant is our selves.

Most people don’t care about how mindful you are, or if you are in the flow, or if you feel content with you circumstances. Really, that is all up to you, that is your gig. That is your own selfish concerns.

Is there some goal beyond ourselves? Probably it is best to cultivate compassion and gratitude in equal measures.

I believe that gratitude can take us farther then we could ever go without it.

The recipe for success is pretty simple. It’s 100% Gratitude and that is it. Mix well and bake in the oven at 350 F for about an hour.

Paradoxically, when you stop searching you find whatever the fuck it is you are looking for. The harder you try the less you achieve. It all sounds so cliche, but it is all so true.

Hone in on all those hoary cliches — they are all true. That is why they stand the test of time.

I doubt anything is as important as gratitude, though. Even until our last breath.