I Stopped Whining and Started Recognizing My Daily Blessings

This blog post is based on my opinions thoughts and thinking.

Do you ever feel like you’re just not good enough, that you don’t deserve the good things in your life? Maybe you think of yourself as spoiled or ungrateful. It’s easy to feel that way when every day brings new criticism.

But consider this — we can all use a little reminder to be thankful for what we have and learn not to take it for granted.

In the past few months, I have experienced many of life’s blessings.

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I’ve had the privilege of visiting and reconnecting with some wonderful people I hadn’t seen in many years. I’ve been invited to travel and meet new people who share my interests. I’ve learned new things that make me a better human being, and I’ve had opportunities to share my gifts and experiences with others.

I laughed a lot. I’ve cried even more. And I’ve grown every single day.

If you’re like me, you might feel like your life is already off to a pretty good start. You might think you are luckier than most because your family is intact, your health is good, and you have friends and colleagues who understand the value of working hard and helping others grow.

But even amid good fortune and favorable circumstances, there are days when life feels overwhelming and difficult. This can be especially true for people who have experienced trauma, conflict, or poverty.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We all go through times when we don’t feel up to facing the challenges of our lives and when we feel like complaining about how hard things are and about how much more adversity we would face if we had a few more resources.

So I propose that it’s time for a change in how we live.

Instead of listening to those voices that try to convince us of our failures, let’s begin appreciating what we have and learning not to take it for granted.

While it seems counterintuitive, I promise that if we shut out the negative voices and start appreciating what we have, we will come to understand that we are truly blessed. We will become less dependent on material goods and more connected to friends, family, and the universe. And our lives will be filled with more meaning and purpose.

Life is indeed a blessing — right here and right now — so let’s start appreciating it!

First, we make a conscious decision to appreciate what we have rather than feel victimized by our circumstances.
Then, we learn to relate to others and our world in a way that ensures the enjoyment of all things. We become more compassionate and less judgmental.
And finally, we draw strength from the soul of our being — the power within us that enables us to create a new world full of love and joy.

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We each have this special power within us.

The soul of a person is a limitless source of abundance and joy. It can be found in yourself and others, in the creation of beauty and goodness.

The power of the soul is greater than the power of scarcity, poverty, worry, and fear. It’s greater than anything that can be materially defined or removed from us.

When we truly understand that we each have a soul, we feel the depth and wisdom of existence. We understand that all things are possible — and within our power to create — because the soul of the universe is within us.

We can change our lives by drawing on this unlimited source of power within us. We can learn to protect and care for it, and through this relationship with it, we can transform ourselves.

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I feel like claiming every single one of them is just a little ungrateful, a little selfish.

I never really think too hard about things like this these days, because I now know that even the worst thing in my life is still a blessing.

Every day I wake up where I am and the things I have are better than those I don’t, and it helps me realize how much worse things could be.

So, I have decided to take a daily piece out of the “blessings cake” and appreciate the things I have.

Most importantly, I began my day each morning by saying to myself, “I’m grateful for another day and I can’t wait to see what this day has in store for me.”

Something magical happened when I started doing this.

My words created more positive energy around me. People started noticing the changes in me, and then changed their attitudes toward me.

The best part was that I began to see life from a different perspective. I started appreciating my own life, and others around me started doing the same thing.

I stopped complaining and began sincerely appreciating how fortunate I am every day. And the more I understand what I have, the more it comes back to me.

The only reason we ever experience unhappiness is because of the things we fight so hard against.

Instead of fighting, be grateful.

When you’re thankful for everything in your life, you’ll begin to see that there’s enough good to go around. You’ll find a way to overcome those things that are holding you back too.

I’m grateful for another day, and I can’t wait to see what this day has in store for me.

What are you grateful for?

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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