Five Things to be Grateful for (That You Might Not Have Considered)

Look for a lot of MMMs in 2016 that deal with Gratitude and Forgiveness (but more about that next year).

In the interim, I am providing five things we can be grateful for that we might have thought about.

In no particular order:

1. Be grateful that you’re not one of hundreds of thousands of refugees having to flee all around this planet. No matter what issues you face where you live, you have a place you can call “home.”
2. Be thankful that no matter what you might think of the candidates who are running for president, we get to vote on which one we want. There are large parts of the planet where democracy is only a theory. As Winston Churchill repeated, “Democracy is the worst form of government – except all the others that have been tried.”
3. Realize that, as JFK said, the problems we face are created by people. Therefore, they an be solved by people.  Whether you face dissension in your work or personal life, or you’re concerned about the crazy state of the world, have faith in our ability to fix it. Start small, by being as compassionate to everyone you meet as you can. Be thankful that you can do that.
4. Be thankful that you have choices. They may seem unpleasant or difficult. You might not want the choices you have, but there is always another option. Understanding we have choice is empowering.
5. Give thanks for your habits you DO NOT like. Realize that those behaviors and thoughts were put into place to make your life better – and for awhile they did. Now, as your life has changed, they’ve outlived their usefulness and it’s time to wish them well in the New Year and replace them with other habits more tailored to the lifestyle you now have. (If your “bad habit” revolves around food, be thankful that while half the word would literally beg for what we throw away, we are faced with having to cut back because we have too much. Kind of puts it in perspective, huh?)

In summary, find a way to be more thankful – no matter how much you are thankful for now.

These is no problem that will be not be lessened by applying gratitude and thanks.