Gratitude is stupid. Sorry - someone had to say it.

The concept is simple: if you appreciate every aspect of your life, you are bound to be happy. Easy right? Wrong. Because as humans, we are too complex for that type of simplicity. We outsmart gratitude. We know better than to be happy about our lives when everything is going south. The reality is that gratitude is hard. And for us pessimists out there, gratitude is impossible.

What if I told you I have a detour. Instead of walking along the gratitude trail and ending up at mental peace - we are going to take the scenic route. Hopefully we end up at mental peace too.

It’s going to require a shift in the way you look at the events of your life. From now on, everything that happens is either building the character, good for the soul, or thickening the plot. That’s the secret sauce.

No really, hear me out. There isn’t a single situation that you can’t toss into one of those three boxes.

Have to work the most mind numbing job ever? Your character will thank you. Stuck in the rain? Thats excellent for the soul - might as well throw some music on while you’re at it. Partner broke up with you? Good, the plot line needed it. You get the idea.

Everything might start to look a little more manageable. Careful though, you might find yourself…grateful. Oops - you just learned the secret to gratitude. I guess it’s not stupid after all. Enjoy your mental peace.