Happiness comes from one’s sense of gratefulness, a recognizable expression of what one appreciates internally. Thus, appreciative thoughts beget gratefulness which produces elements of happiness. The more that women find ways to appreciate themselves, the more quickly and deliberately they generate an attitude of gratitude, and the smoother and more certain becomes their road to happiness.
The previous post 1808 described the need for women to teach themselves to more deliberately find things and people to appreciate in life. Out of their appreciation grows gratefulness and happiness morphs out of gratitude. It was the habit-forming first mile on the road to a woman’s happiness.
During this habit-forming second mile, women find new and deliberate ways to appreciate themselves for both who and what they are. They focus exclusively on themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually.
The process works like this. Ignoring the negative or undesirable things, a woman spotlights the good and beneficial traits, features, characters, details, memories, and energies that produce outcomes that she likes or seeks. She focuses on ways to appreciate such things and consciously transforms her appreciation into gratitude. She builds herself up to please herself such that she’s grateful for who and what she is. What others think doesn’t matter. She deliberately earns more and bigger gratitude for herself by herself. She needn’t worry about happiness; it will come before she is aware or able to identify it.
Physical.
The initial blessing that enables female happiness comes with birth. Women are born pretty and know it throughout life. In childhood, a few girls are taught or convinced they are not pretty. They find great difficulty in appreciating and being grateful for themselves and their roles in life.
Whether women believe it or not, if they act as if they believe and confirm they are pretty, then they learn the value of prettiness. When they improve upon their prettiness to become physically attractive, they learn to appreciate who they are. As they improve further, they appreciate what they do. Thus, they become grateful for themselves and ‘happy’ infuses their spirit. If they daily practice the art of making themselves attractive, they reflect outwardly an attitude of gratitude for who they are. Other people appreciate and are grateful for such a woman and to a much higher degree than if she lacks such a self-complimenting attitude.
Summarized, if a woman makes herself attractive, she appreciates who she is. If she makes herself attractive as an integral part of her everyday life, gratitude for what she does floods her spirit. Then from her heart, temporary infusions of happy feelings reflect an attitude of gratitude. When other people see that, especially men, her importance in the world rises tremendously. Being attractive and obviously knowing it influences other people favorably about her importance.
The female nature works like that. Simplified, each instance of success finding something to appreciate, however small or minor, helps develop the habit of finding things to appreciate. Out of that habit, negative thoughts fade away and faultfinding and criticism becomes things of the past. As self-appreciation compounds into self-gratefulness, happiness accumulates in the female heart. (A hand-written ‘gratitude’ journal accelerates the process.)
If a woman doesn’t capitalize on her prettiness, she floats along in life with just a few happiness whispers dangling from what can be a huge vine. The best way to capitalize starts first thing in the morning of each day. I describe the hows and whys in two ‘pretty time’ articles, 806 and 1146. If ‘pretty time’ is too high a price to pay, this second mile to self-induced happiness will remain unpaved and rough for travel.
The second mile about the self continues with mental and spiritual inputs in the next article.
This is beautiful… We (women) don’t appreciate ourself unless someone recognizes us and confirms us. Self apprecition may come unnatural to us however once we learn this other things in life do become better – ie husband not appreciation you, your work or whatever may cause a lack of appreciation.
Thank you – there are many days I wonder how can one be content even when the outer world is falling apart (many ppl suppress their feeling or just dont do anything) others decide to get pretty and embrace life for what it is..
Emma, your last statement is especially key: “decide” and “embrace.” We DO have a choice about attitude! So, a woman DECIDES to spend “pretty time” each morning. She DECIDES to move forward and EMBRACE life (have peace in her heart, but creatively work with and improve upon whatever her circumstances may be). I believe that part of “pretty time” may be found in Prov. 31:25: “Strength and dignity are her clothing . . .” Outwardly, we put on clothes each day. But another practice that should be daily is the attitude this Bible passage speaks of: in other words, be mindful, on a daily basis, that you have self-worth.
This is beautiful, thank you…