Today I watched a video four times and I may end up watching it one more time before I go to bed.  It was not only one of the most inspiring pieces of video that I have seen in some time, it literally made my heart happy.  Louie Schwartzberg is an award-winning cinematographer and he is speaking at a TED conference in San Francisco, where he also shows a short film on gratitude and happiness.  There are spoken words in the short film and an elderly man speaks about why we should be grateful.  In his words, he tells us that in the morning when we open our eyes, we should be grateful that we have eyes to open.  It begins there and goes deeper along with more examples of what we sometimes miss an opportunity to be thankful for.  The spoken words in this message along with the visual images that are shown, provide a powerful and simple message about what the threshold of happiness is.  Part of my daily motto is to be thankful everyday and that includes in particular those days where things are not always going right.  It takes some practice but it can be done and once it becomes part of your daily routine it also serves as your solid foundation in which you build a great day from.  If you think you are having an issue or a problem that appears to be unsolvable, then I suggest that you take stroll through a shelter for the homeless or lend your assistance at your local soup kitchen.  Your perspective about the problem you may be having may change in matter of minutes.  I recall when I went to the hospital last year to visit my newborn nephew/Godson, I was waiting for the elevator to take me to the nursery floor.  In the elevator next to me was a family that looked grief stricken as they waited along with a frail older gentleman who appeared to be very ill on stretcher.  In that moment I realized that a hospital plays host to happy beginnings when people are born and it also is the place where some people leave a heart broken family that is never fully prepared to say goodbye to a loved one.  Remember that we have choices daily of how we react to our surroundings and although we may face some tough challenges, other people are enduring more profound difficulties than you would think.  Being grateful daily can be the catalyst for long term happiness, which in turn we can share more of with those that matter most to us.