“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Some days are just great. Things go as planned or even better and you bounce from meetings to tasks to your private life and you feel wonderful on the inside.
Then there are other days.
Days when you do not feel much motivated at all. When your best laid plans go out the window before the day has barely begun.
When something important unexpectedly goes wrong and you get that sinking feeling in your stomach. Or when you feel sorry for yourself and honestly just want to go back to bed and to sleep again.
Maybe the simplest and certainly one of the most effective ways to turn such a day, week or month around into something more positive and better is in my experience to turn your focus to gratitude.
Because even if things look tough today or for the next month or year, I can always find something or several things to feel very grateful for about my life.
So I’d like to share a small list of 15 simple, fundamental things that I feel grateful for. I usually only reflect on one or a few of these things when I need to but I thought a list like this one could be helpful both for you and for me.
Maybe not every item on this list works in your life, then take what works from here and create and add to put together your own list.
Then there are other days.
Days when you do not feel much motivated at all. When your best laid plans go out the window before the day has barely begun.
When something important unexpectedly goes wrong and you get that sinking feeling in your stomach. Or when you feel sorry for yourself and honestly just want to go back to bed and to sleep again.
Maybe the simplest and certainly one of the most effective ways to turn such a day, week or month around into something more positive and better is in my experience to turn your focus to gratitude.
Because even if things look tough today or for the next month or year, I can always find something or several things to feel very grateful for about my life.
So I’d like to share a small list of 15 simple, fundamental things that I feel grateful for. I usually only reflect on one or a few of these things when I need to but I thought a list like this one could be helpful both for you and for me.
Maybe not every item on this list works in your life, then take what works from here and create and add to put together your own list.
1. A roof over my head and a warm home.
Few things feel better than to reflect upon having warm home and a roof over my head when it is cold and windy outside and I can hear the rain beating hard on my window.
2. Plenty of drinkable water.
I love water and drink plenty of it every day. It is certainly something I take for granted from time to time. But it is not a given.
780 million people lack access to safe drinking water according to water.org.
3. I don’t have to go hungry.
Plus, most of things I eat are quite tasty and healthy. And sometimes they are simply wonderful.
So I have much to be grateful for when it comes to food.
4. I can enjoy the small and free pleasures of life.
A sunrise.
A relaxing walk outside.
5. Access to the internet.
Things are so different now and even though it is just a part of everyday life it still amazing.
I can learn about pretty much anything online. I can add new skills and habits to make my life happier and more awesome with the help of what other people share online.
And there is the opportunity to connect with and get to know people from all around the world.
6. My friends.
For the love, support, kindness and all the fun that they offer and I get to offer them.
7. My health.
I do not have the indestructible body of Superhero. But if I treat it well and get plenty of sleep, work out and eat healthy then it works really wonderfully well almost all the time.
Sure, I get sick sometimes.
But overall I have very, very much to be thankful for that I often take for granted about my body and how it helps me to do everything – see, listen, walk, write, hug, kiss, think and experience my world – every day.
8. The kindness of people I have never met before.
Every day I get kind and supportive emails and messages from people all around the world that I have never met. Their expressions of gratitude make my life happier and help me when things feel tough.
And I truly appreciate the simple kindness in the rest of my daily life too when people let me skip ahead of them. When they stay for a few seconds and hold up the door for me too.
9. The enemies.
For helping me uncover my blind spots so I can be a better person.
10. My family.
For being my closest kin in the world; for being my companions in life.
11. My best friend.
For being there for me whenever I need her.
12. Heartbreak
For helping me to be more mature and to be a better person.
13. My Mistakes
For helping me to improve myself and be a better one.
14. Life’s challenges
For helping me to grow and become who I am; for giving me the chance to experience all that I experienced, and will be experiencing in time to come.
15. I am alive.
If I had been born in another time or in another place then there is a big chance that I would not have been here to experience my 16th birthday.
But I am here now. I have this moment and day and hopefully many days still to experience and live my life.
It is an amazing thing.
Few things feel better than to reflect upon having warm home and a roof over my head when it is cold and windy outside and I can hear the rain beating hard on my window.
2. Plenty of drinkable water.
I love water and drink plenty of it every day. It is certainly something I take for granted from time to time. But it is not a given.
780 million people lack access to safe drinking water according to water.org.
3. I don’t have to go hungry.
Plus, most of things I eat are quite tasty and healthy. And sometimes they are simply wonderful.
So I have much to be grateful for when it comes to food.
4. I can enjoy the small and free pleasures of life.
A sunrise.
A relaxing walk outside.
5. Access to the internet.
Things are so different now and even though it is just a part of everyday life it still amazing.
I can learn about pretty much anything online. I can add new skills and habits to make my life happier and more awesome with the help of what other people share online.
And there is the opportunity to connect with and get to know people from all around the world.
6. My friends.
For the love, support, kindness and all the fun that they offer and I get to offer them.
7. My health.
I do not have the indestructible body of Superhero. But if I treat it well and get plenty of sleep, work out and eat healthy then it works really wonderfully well almost all the time.
Sure, I get sick sometimes.
But overall I have very, very much to be thankful for that I often take for granted about my body and how it helps me to do everything – see, listen, walk, write, hug, kiss, think and experience my world – every day.
8. The kindness of people I have never met before.
Every day I get kind and supportive emails and messages from people all around the world that I have never met. Their expressions of gratitude make my life happier and help me when things feel tough.
And I truly appreciate the simple kindness in the rest of my daily life too when people let me skip ahead of them. When they stay for a few seconds and hold up the door for me too.
9. The enemies.
For helping me uncover my blind spots so I can be a better person.
10. My family.
For being my closest kin in the world; for being my companions in life.
11. My best friend.
For being there for me whenever I need her.
12. Heartbreak
For helping me to be more mature and to be a better person.
13. My Mistakes
For helping me to improve myself and be a better one.
14. Life’s challenges
For helping me to grow and become who I am; for giving me the chance to experience all that I experienced, and will be experiencing in time to come.
15. I am alive.
If I had been born in another time or in another place then there is a big chance that I would not have been here to experience my 16th birthday.
But I am here now. I have this moment and day and hopefully many days still to experience and live my life.
It is an amazing thing.
It’s truly difficult to feel grateful when times are really tough or when very depressed. I think your list is great. What I find helpful is tuning into breathing– going back to the most simple act of being alive. Letting the thoughts be there and tuning into my breath. This connects me to the bare essentials which is truly an exquisite connection to the gift of life
Being grateful and saying thank you is a great way to get balance and a better perspective in your life. When things don’t seem to be going your way just spending a little time to reflect on some of the things that we can be grateful for can lift you out of a negative mind set. Every night before going to sleep I say thank you for all that I have been given, opportunities, love, friendship, shelter etc.
How about you? What are the things that you feel grateful in this year 2015?
Being grateful and saying thank you is a great way to get balance and a better perspective in your life. When things don’t seem to be going your way just spending a little time to reflect on some of the things that we can be grateful for can lift you out of a negative mind set. Every night before going to sleep I say thank you for all that I have been given, opportunities, love, friendship, shelter etc.
How about you? What are the things that you feel grateful in this year 2015?