Be Grateful For What You Have, Even When It Isn’t Easy

So many of us are worriers. Life moves quickly, and a lot of the time it may feel like we can barely keep up. The daily changes and sweeping calendars leave our heads buzzing with thoughts and feelings of concern on practically a minute-by-minute basis. Sometimes it’s the day-to-day stuff like, “Did I remember to lock the door before I left the apartment?” or “Did I forget to turn off the coffee pot before work this morning?” Other times, it’s a bit more dense. Thoughts more along the lines of “Am I losing myself in the chaos of adulthood?” or “How am I going to be able to manage all of my flaws?” Sometimes, we don’t even know what exactly we’re worrying about. Sometimes, we just feel it swimming under our skin.

But despite all the feelings of failure, feelings of discomfort, feelings of just not being enough, we have a power in us. Something greater than all the obstacles in our way. In the face of our fears and obstacles, we have the power to try to look towards something lighter. Call it the law of attraction, call it prayer, call it blind faith, call it whatever you want…it all boils down to one thing: positivity.

The more life you breathe into the things that make you happy, the more you’ll find those kinds of things will head your way.

Worrying is a part of life. It’s an inevitable fact, and sometimes it’s something we simply can’t control. We’re only human, after all. But we don’t do ourselves any favors when we pour all of our soul into our concerns. It’s a hard cycle to avoid. But when things get tough (which can be often), try to find things to be thankful for.

Try to start small. Try thinking about little things we have to be thankful for, things that may not seemingly have anything to do with whatever the current situation you’re facing is. Maybe you have a pantry full of food at home. Maybe you’re just able to pay your bills. Then try move on to something a little bigger. Think about how thankful you are to have certain special people in your life. Or maybe how luck you are to have a job in an economy like the one we’re in. And after that, take it one step further. Try and make that feeling of gratitude even bigger. Give thanks for the fact that you have an able body, and an active mind. Give thanks for the fact that you’re healthy. And then comes the hardest part of all, trying to be gracious and full of gratitude for whatever experience you’re handed, whether it be pleasant or not.

Do your best to be thankful that whatever you’re going through is serving some sort of purpose. Maybe that purpose is a bit bigger than you can recognize, at least in the present moment. But every little misstep, slip-up, or mistake is leading you down a path that will serve your future self in some way. Whether that’s to help you grow, to help you move on, or to help you avoid making the same mistake twice.

The more time you take to think about all the things you have to be thankful for, the less space your obstacles may seem to take up. Our challenges become vastly less intimidating when we realize all the good we have on our side. Positivity and light is there, waiting to be realized in every circumstance we come across. It’s up to us whether or not we choose to seek it out and live by it. And when you take the time to count your blessings, even in the darkest of places, that little bit of light becomes your guide to whatever point is next on your journey.