I ran a workshop this week which touched on the links between happiness and gratitude.  When we remember to notice and give thanks for the good things in our lives we experience a powerful sense of connection with ourselves, with other people, and with the here and now; it’s a shortcut to happiness.

We also discussed the more challenging idea of giving thanks for whatever happens to us, unconditionally – that perhaps even things that don’t seem like gifts could be blessings in disguise.  It’s a shift of belief – as Robert Holden says, ‘What if life didn’t happen to you, it happened for you?’  A concept we use in NLP is that of reframing – ie. taking a new perspective or putting a positive spin on a situation, in order to deliberately change our response to it.   Continue reading →