Feeling Lucky…Feeling Blessed!

You’ve heard the expression “the luck of the Irish” and probably thought it meant people from Ireland had “extreme good fortune.”  But according to the Irish, it isn’t luck at all! It’s more of an attitude and a positive outlook no matter what the situation or circumstance. I love this about the Irish…I love this quality in people.

What makes you feel lucky? Better yet…what makes you feel blessed?

Psychologists have scientifically proven that one of the greatest contributing factors to overall happiness and feeling blessed in your life, is to how much gratitude you show.

To increase your happiness…try this experiment:

1. Think of someone who has been a huge influence in your life, someone who has meant a lot to you, who has been there for you and supported you, someone who is really important to you.
2. For the next five minutes write down as much as you can about that person, and what they have meant to you.
3. Now…go and call that person and share with them what you wrote, and how you feel about them. (*Notice how you feel while sharing your thoughts with your loved one. Notice how it makes them feel, and how you felt after talking to them.)

The people who participated in this study that were not feeling happy or blessed before this experiment, increased their happiness level up to 50%! Those people that were already feeling happy and blessed before the experiment, still increased their happiness level another 10% just by simply showing a little gratitude to someone they loved and cared about.

Years ago my husband and I took a trip of a lifetime to Peru. One day we traveled to Cusco. We hiked into a small village and found an amazing family that lived in the middle of nowhere at the top of a mountain, and ran a small store out of their home. They didn’t speak any English, but my husband was fluent in Portuguese and could speak enough Spanish to understand them.

They invited us in to their small humble home, which actually looked more like a dirt hut. The floors were dirt, the walls were dirt, and many animals were running around the dirt floor. In the middle of the house was an open area with no roof. There was no comfortable furniture to sit on, only a small table to prepare and cook their meals.  As I was taking it all in, I began to feel grateful and guilty all at the same time for all of the comforts of life that I enjoy. Then I looked at this family a little closer. They were happy…extremely happy! In fact, I can honestly say that I have never seen a happier group of people in my life. They felt lucky. They felt blessed. I could see it on their faces. I could see it in their eyes and in their smiles. They were full of gratitude…they were content. I immediately stopped feeling guilty. I was in awe! I was amazed at this family, and grateful that I just learned the lesson of a lifetime about what it means to feel blessed and to be happy. I felt grateful to be in the presence of people who understood what was important. They had each other, and they had what they needed. They had enough.

Hugh Downs once said, “A happy person…(a person who feels lucky or blessed) is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.”

This St. Patrick’s holiday let’s learn a little something from the Irish and this Peruvian family and feel lucky…feel grateful…feel happy…feel blessed!