Gratitude

"We can only be said to be alive

in those moments when our hearts

are conscious of our treasures."

I used to be a really positive person.

I mean really positive.  I was a happy, well-adjusted teenager.

I suddenly realized this week that it has been 10 years since I was 16.

And something happened in those 10 years.

I was very involved in my church when I was in high school.  I had a lot of great friends, a boyfriend whom I loved and I did really well in school.

I suppose it happens to a lot of people as they move from their youths into adulthood.

I went to college.  My boyfriend broke up with me.  I started questioning everything I'd been taught by the church.  Etc., etc., etc.

Somewhere along the line, I lost the positive outlook that I once had.

I've been noticing recently just how negative I've become.  How often I complain about my day.

And, in turn, how anxious I am.  How unhappy I feel.

I personally believe that there are some people who thrive off of this negativity.

I believe it gives them energy and keeps them going and helps them to deal with their own problems or loneliness.

But I don't believe I am one of those people.                

When I stop to question my unhappiness, I can't even figure out why I feel that way in the first place.

I love the work that I've been doing lately.  I love my family and I see them often.  I get to spend my days with the love of my life.

So what on earth do I have to be unhappy about?

Small, insignificant things that I end up obsessing over.  It's addicting.

If you react to something with negative thoughts and anxiety, you're more likely to react that way the next time something happens.  You have to break the cycle.

That's where gratitude comes in.

There is a solid chance that you have heard Oprah talk about this.  The power of gratitude.

"Be thankful for what you have; 

you'll end up having more. 

If you concentrate on what you don't have, 

you will never, ever have enough."


-- Oprah Winfrey

Oprah recommends keeping a gratitude journal.  It is one of the simplest things that you can do each day and it makes such an amazing difference.

Each day, write down 5 things that happened that you're thankful for.

That's it.

I've been keeping one this week.  Only for 4 days actually.  And I truly have noticed a difference.  

If you take 5 minutes to stop and think about the good things that happen to you each day {things that otherwise you might easily forget} there is a solid chance that your outlook on things will change.

I have been doing it either just before I go to sleep, or first thing in the morning I will reflect on the previous day.  I think that I prefer to do it this way because it is such a positive start to my day.

I encourage you to try it.  

Life is beautiful, it's a blessing and it is too short to spend obsessing over things that don't matter.  

Things that make you anxious and sad.

Focus on the good.  Be happy.

"If the only prayer you said 

in your whole life was, 'thank you,' 

that would be enough."

Until then.