It is hard to be grateful sometimes.
Sometimes there are things that happen in our lives that we question and that we cannot possibly see the good in. A family member is diagnosed with an illness. Losing a child or a parent. Finding out that we didn’t get the job. Not getting accepted to the program we applied for. Getting in an accident. School shootings. There are so many times in life that we question why?
Why on earth is this happening? Why would anyone do this? Why do I have the worst luck? Why do we have to go through this?
As hard as it is, be grateful. Your perspective and how you respond to any situation is your choice. You have control over how you handle every situation, every turn in the road, every decision, every moment.
I recently bought a book that I am looking forward to reading called the Power of One More. The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success by Ed Mylett.
Buying the book gave me access to watch some amazing speakers present on the power of one more. One of those speakers, Eric Thomas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6LZ3hf7wZ4 , told a story that really drove the importance of gratitude home for me.
His message centered on being grateful for adversity and challenges. He told the story of his wife being diagnosed with MS. He said thank you God. Thank you for one more adversity. Thank you for one more challenge. I know this an answer to a prayer. I don’t know which one, I don’t know how, but I know all things work together for the good.
His wife was destined to not ever quit her job. Her identity was in her work. Getting MS changed the direction of her life. It gave his babies their Mother back. She was at home for all the sports games. She was home when they got home from school. She now travels with him to all his speaking engagements. If she had not got sick, she would have still been at work, she would have still had years left before she could retire. It’s all about seeing the blessing in the trial.
There never is an answer at the time. There is though, the ability for us to be grateful. Grateful for whatever good will come, the changes, the lives that will be saved by you sharing your experience one day and the growth you experience from having the strength to get through it.
Did you know that you cannot be depressed when you are grateful?
I start and end every day with gratitude. The first thing I do when I wake up is say at least three things I am grateful for. I am grateful that I woke up today. I am grateful for my husband. I am grateful for my boys. I am grateful for where we live. I am grateful for the sunshine and clean water. I am grateful.
When I started learning about gratitude, I began the practice with a gratitude journal. I was blessed with the opportunity to start a health and wellness business which came with mentors and personal development training. Practicing gratitude was one of the first things I learned.
I still write down 5 things I am grateful for in my gratitude journal every day that I can. At first it was hard and I was grateful for the same things every day until I was challenged to write down 5 different things every day to be grateful for. This is when gratitude exploded for me.
There is so much to be grateful for. If you have yet to discover the secret of gratitude, give it a try.
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