Is that so? Sounds really cliche, huh? Well, it is true. Taking a moment to step back, slow down and peer into our souls to find what we have to be grateful for, really does help our mind and our heart to reassess a situation or circumstance. This way we can see that we can still lead a full and fulfilling life or even in some cases that we have been living a relatively good life already. For example, you arrive at work and find cops everywhere going through the company files. You see your boss and co-workers in confusion. In a short matter of time, you find yourself having to pack up your desk items into a box. You and the rest of the company are now unemployed. Whoa, you have no job! So, now you are wondering, "How am I going to pay my bills?", "What about the family trip in 6 weeks?", "My daughter starts college next year!". The list of what you are going to do just keeps getting longer and longer. Well, what now? How can you be grateful at a time like that? Well, lets see by taking each question one at a time.
- How are you going to pay your bills?
- You have been saving some money for a rainy day. This is definitely a rainy day, if not even more. -You are so glad that you planned ahead for emergencies.
- Your spouse has a job that can cover some of the major expenses. -You are grateful that your spouse is able to have employment too.
- With some budgeting and eliminating of unnecessary expenses, you can actually pay the rest of your major expenses. Your family will have to do without some luxuries but at least everyone will be able to live comfortably for now. -It is nice to know your family will still be okay.
- What about family trip in 6 weeks?
- You were able to get a partial refund for most of the price for the plane tickets. -You are so happy because you can use that money for something else.
- One way you can use that money is to pay for a mini road trip up North where you can stay in a friend's cabin. -It is so nice to have friends.
- You still have more than enough money to enjoy your new trip and pocket the extra cash.
- Your daughter starts college next year?
- You have been saving money towards her college fund since she was a young girl. -A little bit here and a little bit there really adds up over the years. This takes some of the load off.
- Your daughter still has time to apply for some additional scholarships and grants. -It is nice to have other avenues to get access to funds for college.
- Although not ideal, you or your daughter can apply for small student loans to cover basic expenses.
So as you can see, there might be areas in a situation where you can focus on what you can control.
Now, we really want to figure out how to be grateful and show gratitude on a daily basis, in every thing that we do. Here are two suggestions:
- Write down what you are grateful for each day. Either do this when you wake up or when you go to sleep. If you do so when you wake up, it can start your day off in the right direction. If you do it at night, it can help you refocus your attention away from the stresses that you had experienced earlier in the day.
- Show your appreciation to someone each day. Do something for another to let them know that they mean the world to you. But, do not discount being nice to strangers too. You would be surprised at how many people do not have a single person in their personal life that is nice to them. You might be the only person that day who has made them feel of any value.
Here you go, now you are one step closer to experiencing a happier life. Be sure to come back to our blog. The next post will be another step towards happiness. It has to do with your job. Stay tuned.