The problem with allowing negativity to get the better of us on any given day is that days stretch into weeks, weeks into months and months into years. Mole hills can easily become mountains if left unattended. We need to meet negativity head on whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head.

A simple way to counter negativity in our lives is to adopt an attitude of gratitude. Negativity is bad, gratitude is good.

Gratitude though is more than a shallow nod to a warm and positive emotion - it is a deep and thankful appreciation for the good things that come our way. And it can be received as well as expressed.

If we practice gratitude and include it in our daily routine then we are effectively girding our loins against all pervasive negativity.

Gratitude produces long-lasting positivity and that has both psychological and physical benefits. It can clear the clouds on an emotionally grey day and make us not only appreciate ourselves but also the people around us. It can make us stronger in so many respects.

The attitude of gratitude starts with the effort to see and hear things that we are grateful to see and hear. And there's always something or even a multitude of somethings.

Sometimes our ability to recognise those things that are good and positive is clouded by our situation and circumstance. Clearing the fog can involve conscious and sustained effort. While that can be tiresome and tiring the rewards which follow persistence are more than worthwhile.

Gratitude and goodness go hand-in-hand. Make the effort and reap the benefits.

We want to feel fulfilled, content, at peace, comfortable in the sure knowledge that all is well with the world. If we can get the ducks in our life to line up then we are certain that the result will be blissful happiness. We expect that which we believe we deserve.

The reality is though that the ducks keep swimming, bobbing along in the waterway that is our life, appearing and disappearing at will often leaving us feeling confused and hurt. So we make the most common mistakes. We ignore the ducks and assume that it is the responsibility of others to make us happy. We shirk ownership and, with it, responsibility. Then we take that further and expect others to make us happy. Driven to distraction we can even demand that others make us happy.

The fact is that we are responsible for our own happiness. And the harsh reality is that the key to happiness does not involve a fatter pay packet, a new and fresh relationship or more possessions. The hunt for happiness can take us down many rough and unfulfilling pathways.

At the end of the day true happiness lies in accepting who we are, where we're at and what we have. It's being able to look in the mirror and recognise, understand and appreciate the person we see looking back. That doesn't mean we should not be ambitious; that we should not be working for change..

In accepting the here and now we establish a point from which we can look forward...but it's important that we have all the ducks that matter in the one room at the same time before we start attempting to line them up.

Happiness is not a delusion. It's a reality that takes effort.