Feeling grateful for something in your life today is an empowering emotion we could all use.
How different things would be if we were actually thankful with what we have instead of constantly chasing that carrot that is being dangled in front of us.
Commercialism and materialism is taking over everyday life.
This does not mean people cannot have goals and dreams of having things. That would be a sad life if we had nothing to look forward to.
No, I mean why don’t we just stop and look at what we have right now in our lives and appreciate the positives.
Feeling that happiness in acknowledging the good things in our life is a wonderful boost to our inner peace and well being.
You may not have the biggest or nicest home but you have a roof over your head and a place that you call home right now.
It may not be ideal or safe if the rent is going up or you are struggling to make payments.
But, right now it is home and you have your own four walls.
Everyone wishes for a place that they can call home where they feel safe and secure and unfortunately not everyone has that luxury.
Being ok with where you are right now while working towards that forever home or own home is what gives you the motivation to keep going to achieve it.
Gratitude for the people in your life
Do you find yourself arguing with your other half, family member or friend? In the heat of the moment you may not remember what started it or how long it has been going on.
You feel caught in the loop of complaining about them.
Stop and take a moment to think about someone who has lost a loved one and how that has impacted their life. Would they want to continue arguing or take the chance to make peace and enjoy having that person there with them?
Materialism is the enemy of feeling grateful
It is so easy to get caught up in the commercialism black hole that exists in society.
Through advertisement and social media we are bombarded almost 24/7. The so-called perfect lives influencers are trying to portray. Do we believe them anymore?
The relentless ads that are telling us how we must have this new item. We are basically losers if we don’t have the latest model of whatever item they are selling.
It feels as if you just bought a new phone it does what you need it to do and you are perfectly happy with it.
Wait, here comes an endless supply of advertisement on why you have to own this new version of the phone. Everything else is useless and basic.
What is wrong with the phone I have?
It does what I want it to and it works really well.
As soon as you buy a piece of technology it is old. There will always be a new model or one which has more features or functions. You will never have it all.
Being thankful
Feeling gratitude with at least something in your life right now is like a gift in itself.
What you have may not feel like much but there are definitely other people who would love to have that what you do and you don’t realise it.
We are expected to follow these people and don’t have to think if we need the thing they are promoting. Instead they are telling us we have to get it.
Do we have enough money to finance it? Do we need it or just want it?
They don’t care. But you should.
With Thanksgiving just over and Christmas around the corner it is so easy to get sucked into the whole materialistic fantasy world that is pushed on us.
Instead of feeling grateful for one day a year why not stop and take a moment to enjoy the simple things in life that you are grateful for.
Focus on the positive
You could focus on the things that are going wrong in your life and we all have those. That leads to a negative way of thinking. Or you could take a moment each day and think of one thing that you are grateful for.
This could be gratitude in the simplest form.
- If that is, enjoying 10 minutes of peace and quiet to drink your first hot drink in the morning before the rest of the family wake up and noise takes over.
- Being able to enjoy the home cooked meal you had today.
- Having family and friends in your life.
- Getting the bus you needed to get to work on time.
- Making the time to go for a walk today.
- Getting the task done that you have been procrastinating over.
- It doesn’t need to be anything of monetary value at all but something that made you smile today.
Feeling stuck and not sure what to pick today? Well, what made you grateful yesterday may well be giving you the positive feeling today again.
No one says you cannot appreciate things every day.
It is hard in the beginning to keep the ball rolling and think of something every day but it may shock you how falling into a routine can easily happen. Acknowledging something positive in your day can quickly become a new habit that gives you peace of mind.
No one can have everything and nobody’s happy all the time. While working towards what we want to achieve or own we can appreciate what we have right now.
Fed up with your old car and the constant headaches it provides. Is something going to break? It is not the nicest one there. It looks so old and cheap.
You have a car that helps you get things done in your day.
Would a new one, or newer one to you be horrible? Of course not and that is the goal you are working towards. However, appreciating the old one for working still is not a bad thing.
You don’t know, maybe that neighbour you see with their newer model car doesn’t even own it and will have to pay it off for a long time.
They may regret going down that route and wish they owned an older car outright.
The skill of feeling grateful
It is so easy to lose sight of the important things in life. Feeling grateful for the things that you have right now is a wonderful and empowering thing. The happiness it brings you can lead to more self confidence and inner peace that gives you the power to decide for yourself what you need and what you want in your life. There will be a lot of things that you don’t.
Taking a moment every day to think of one good positive thing in your life that you are grateful for could be the key to leading a more balanced and fulfilled life. A boost to your self confidence and help you feel motivated to reach the goals you have set in your life.
“The key is to be grateful, pause to see what we have, and understand that somewhere someone would be giving everything you already have and don’t appreciate.
What if we were just grateful today… for all that we have?
Hiroyuki Sanada
