“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh

My wife is in the midst of studying to teach yoga.  It’s already been a transformative process for her in many ways.  Amongst the ‘homework’ she is given is an exercise to list 3 things she is grateful for each and every day.  It’s a simple exercise but not necessarily an easy one.

 

Many of us are lost in what we don’t have.  We busy ourselves with striving and working towards goals but we often forget to enjoy those goals once reached.  We overlook the magic already in our lives on a daily basis.

 

Finding something to be grateful for can help fix this.  It can alter our perspective and help us see all we already have.  All we have already achieved.

 

We can make a little time each and every day to reflect on something in our life we are grateful for.  This doesn’t have to be time consuming and it doesn’t have to be complicated.

 

We can ponder on one thing or come up with a handful.  Many ways can work.  It might make sense to start at one thing we are grateful for to ingrain the habit of reflection before moving to more.

 

Our list can include large and small things we are grateful for.  What we’ll realise is that the things we often consider small (a walk in the park, a cup of coffee with a loved one) are actually pretty big things.  They can add so much to our feelings of wellbeing.

 

Make space for feeling grateful today.  Better still, make a commitment to ingrain this simple but powerful habit every day.  Feel your mood and sense of appreciation improve as you do.

 

 

News:

I am very proud to have had another guest post shared at the amazing Tiny Buddha site recently, Rethinking What Really Matters

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