I often read a lot about the power of gratitude; of its ability to transform your life from believing in a state of lack to trusting in the unlimited supply that is available to each and every one of us at any given moment.
Of the many books I’ve read on the subject, all of them say that the more grateful you are for both the big and small things in your life, the more receptive you become to bringing in more opportunities for things to be grateful about. As much as I’ve read about it and have come to understand the power behind gratitude, I still find it hard to incorporate that mindset into my day to day routine.
Some mornings I stand looking at my closet not liking a single piece of clothing I own, wishing I had more (most times after just recently buying new clothes). When getting ready for the day, I can find various things to not like about myself when looking in the mirror.
My car doesn’t heat up as quickly as I’d like it to on freezing mornings, and there always seems to be something else that I want to do or have that isn’t and wouldn’t be readily accessible to me when I want it to be.
I could write posts upon posts of more things that I don’t find good enough in my life, and the lists of things that I want more of. The problem with thinking this way is that on some conscious level, I am choosing to see the negative in the many things in my life that thousands of other people don’t have. That thousands of other people would love to have: a home, excess of clothes, a car, maybe even the “luxury” of feeling like they don’t have enough.
The truth is, that the fact that I can even sit here and write this post means that I am already extremely lucky and well supplied for. I have hands to type what I want to say. I have a healthy and working brain that offers
me an unlimited amount of opportunity. I have a computer to connect with others and the world. I have this day to decide what I’d like to do with it. And quite simply, I’m alive.
We tend to look past our state of health, the roof over our heads, our source of income (whether we enjoy doing that source or not), and our own gift of life, as amazing and valid things to be grateful for.
It’s human nature to let things bother us, to feel like things just aren’t enough and to want more for ourselves; that may always be a struggle we have to deal with. But we are not victims to our own thoughts.
We are the ones in control of what we want to think and how we want to feel. Instead of making lists of things that we’re not happy with, of focusing and speaking about the negative, how much better would it be to be grateful for everything we have present in our lives right now?
Coming from a space of gratitude, of finding things to say thank you about throughout your day, helps you to realize how lucky you really are, and how much more pleasant it is to live life looking through the eyes of a person conscious of their own blessings.
“The enlightened give thanks for what most people take for granted. As you begin to be grateful for what most people take for granted, that vibration of gratitude makes you more receptive to good in your life.” –Michael Beckwith
