personal bouyancy

What exactly is buoyancy of spirit? Why is it that some days are what I call ‘blue sky days’ where there is a spring in your step and a song in your heart. You are ‘in love’ with life and the future looks rosy. Yet, other days just seem gloomy and dark for no obvious reason. We just lack joie de vivre and there seem to be obstacles at every turn.

We all know those people with an inherently cheery spirit - always welcoming, friendly and gracious. We all know those other sour pusses who do nothing but whinge and complain and bring you down.

It is obvious we now live in a deeply troubled world. Optimism for the future is like a receding tide. There is an ever-present anxiety about geopolitical strife and economic turbulence. The golden era of prosperity and peace has well and truly gone.

But we each have a personal choice that needs to be made first thing every morning when you first awake. It is as obligatory as your morning shower and cleaning your teeth. It is a ritual and habit we simply need to establish and cultivate. And that is what is the glass doing today. We want to check out the weather outside but fail to check out our internal barometer.

Is the glass half empty or half full?

For it will always be so – both. It is merely a matter of perception. A matter of focus. And it is a choice. What do you choose to focus your attention on? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you count your blessings or curse your challenges? Do you view these obstacles as stepping stones to becoming a better, stronger person or as chains to hold you back? There will always be reasons to and not to.

I believe the key to buoyancy is gratitude and gratitude comes from appreciation. Appreciation is a mental muscle that needs to be developed and trained. It is a mental focus. What you focus on is where your attention goes and very quickly your mood follows.

If you focus on the negative your perception and disposition become clouded and mired. If you focus on the positive the light enters and lifts you up. The world seems brighter; the future more promising and your spirit soars.

Especially in troubled times it is essential to cultivate this personal discipline. Seek out the good. Find the blessings in your life. Be genuinely grateful for the myriad little things in your life we so often take for granted.

I have found that if I am becoming resentful or critical, I can easily turn this around by acknowledging the wonder of my physical body – all the marvellous things it does without our conscious effort. For example, if you are doing some chore that is unpleasant, give thanks for your physical ability to do it at all.

Gratitude must become a daily discipline. For thousands of years many seers have proclaimed the wonder of gratitude as an elixir of health:  Cicero, Seneca, Buddhism and many other religious teachings. Modern science has also now discovered that gratitude actually changes your blood metabolism via CRP which is an inflammatory marker. So, as in so many of these things ancient wisdom and modern science now converge on the truth.

To be healthy, be happy. To be happy, be grateful. To be grateful, observe the wonder. Let the world do what it wants. Just don’t let it spoil your day!