4 Keys to Gratitude; Secrets of Simplicity

Being intentionally grateful is essential to a fulfilling life. It keeps you positive, thankful and focused on what you already have in abundance.

Be Thankful

Look around you. No matter where life finds you, there is something to be thankful for. If you have a roof over your head, food on your table and  family and friends to share it with you are blessed. Each of these things are a gift. You have breath and life. You drink clean water and working indoor plumbing!  When you become intentionally grateful and recognize the goodness to be found in each corner of your life,  you will see  every day there is more to be thankful for than there are stars in the sky! The world in which we live overflows with beauty.

gratitude multiplies like stars in the sky

Choose to Turn Negatives Into Positives

Being grateful makes it possible to turn negatives into positives. Many of us aren’t taught to be actively grateful, it requires a deliberate effort. Consider the amount of time you feel like complaining about your job. What if the energy put into the complaints you instead chose to focus on the blessing of your employment. Your world view is shaped by how you think. If you can change the way you think, you can change your world. Garbage in-garbage out. What you allow to take root in your heart, will come out of your mouth. Attitude is everything!

See Challenges as Opportunity

A person is not defined by what happens to them in their life. A person is defined by how they deal with what happens in their life. We all have hardships to overcome, and with each hardship, we have a choice;  let it break you, or choose to let it make you. You will not be happy all the time. You will grieve when bad things happen. You will wrestle with life , when bad things happen to good people. Life is not fair. I get this. I wrestle here too. You can however choose to use the challenges in your life to make yourself a better person. With every hard place you endure, there is something to learn. he road ahead is unknown and slighty scary. No matter;practice gratefulness.

road ahead is unknown

Treasure the Everyday Moments– No Matter How Big Or Small

It’s simple things, like making my hubby’s favorite cookies or waking up to the silence of a summer morning, that makes my life more enjoyable. Relish the moments you spend with friends, share a meal with someone and cherish the smell of good food and warm bread. Each moment you take the time to be present in will help foster within you a deeper appreciation for life.

Breaking bread with friends

Today’s Challenge- Begin to keep a gratitude journal

Every night,  write down ten things you are thankful for that day and how they affect your life. Even if it’s the falling leaves outside your window, it’s something to be thankful for. 

We are almost half way through our 31 days together. How time flies when we are having fun! I have heard from so many of you as you have shared with us in the comments and in messages.  What a joy to hear how you are being changed in the midst of this adventure.

  • How have you been impacted by these last two weeks?
  • What areas are you hoping we tackle?
  • What has been your favorite or most challenging task?

 

If you are enjoying this journey please invite your friends, family and random strangers to join in- the world will be a better place because of it!   Share the love and bring them along as you begin to enjoy more of a life you love!  

Blessings and a big HUG from me to you! I treasure the moments we spend together here!

2 Comments

  1. I do keep a thankful journal but I must confess I need to be more regular in thinking about those things and more regular in writing them down. Thanks for the reminder of how to turn a mediocre day into one full of color and vibrance. The day doesn’t change, our perception does.

    1. Anne-

      Why is this the hardest to remember when we are in the midst of life? I must constantly remind myself to remember what is good and right and true.

      I so often see what is not. Gratitude is everything.
      Blessings my friend.

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