What are five things you are thankful for today?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Can you fill out that list? It shouldn’t be too hard. Give
it even a little bit of thought and I’m sure you could extend that list to
seven or ten, maybe even twelve or more. I’m sure if you wrote a list like this
once in a while it would be easy. But, could you do that list every day and not
repeat the same thing two days in a row? Now, could you do that for the entire
week? The entire month? How about a whole year?
You see, in my effort to retrain my mind to think more positively, I’ve dedicated myself to doing a list just like this every day for
the entire month of May. Sounds silly doesn’t it? Really though, to me, it
seems too easy to get caught up in negativity, counterproductive thinking, despair,
all the sorts of things that get in the way of us making our lives the way we
want them to be. The power of positive thinking might sound super cheesy, but
how often do you deliberately think positively to improve your mood or outlook? I know a few people who are quiet adept at doing just that. However, I also
know many people, including myself, that get lost in the negativity (at least
for just a little bit).
I think the great effort of our lives should be investing in
our experiences, our understandings, our knowledge, and our perceptions. It
might be really cool to look around our houses or apartments and marvel at all
the stuff we’ve accumulated. It might seem pretty neat to take a joy ride in
the fancy car we own or spend a night out on the town burning through a few
hundred dollars. Yeah, that might all be cool, for a while. But what else is
there, if you don’t explore even the smallest of positives in your life?
Yesterday, my list read that I was thankful for sunshine, peace and quiet,
pizza, memories of good times, and friends. The day before that, all five were
completely different. Tomorrow, I’ll list five new ones. There is an abundance
of positiveness in this world. If you have to deliberately show yourself what
that is before you can readily recognize it, so be it. Once you learn to see
the good in your life without difficulty, the negative will melt away and you’ll
be left with a positive glow. Anything that helps you along in your life's mission is worth it.
What’s your list going to say?
Thanks for reading. Questions and Comments are welcome.
