One day you’re good… the next day you’re bad. Happy, sad, annoyed, peaceful, content, needy. Worried about the future, living in the past. The emotions come and go and change daily… hell, sometimes they change hourly!
But always remember there is one very simple way, one little tip, that can go a long way to keeping you positive and living in the moment each day and that tip is…
GRATITUDE
Remember to look around you and realize all that is good in your world. Chances are, you already have all that you need.
There is no way most of us won’t find a way to fulfill our basic needs for shelter, food, paying the bills, and some form of love – even if that love comes from your dog Fido. So it isn’t what you need that is the issue. It is what you want and desire that causes all the anxiety.
The future doesn’t exist, the past is no longer. The only thing that is, is now.
Having future plans and desires is perfectly fine but not when they become needs. Because you are living your life in a future which may never materialize and you are missing all the real living going on in front of you right now. The easiest way to come back to the present is to develop gratitude, to cultivate your abundance right this moment.
Realize how much you have right now, and notice how all that you have now is the result of previous desires and work which you achieved. It is very easy to forget what achieving a goal ultimately means.
You can stop now. You can stop getting caught up in the next future desire and be present with what is happening now. And you can stop whining about how bad things are and look at the positive side of life.
Write down every morning (or before bed) three things you are grateful for daily. It should be simple if you are honest. My three today? My son, my health, my my work. Your list can be specific or general. Look around you and see what you have in your life. Look at the last week and remember all the amazing things that have happened in your life.
Here are a few ideas to help get you started –
People – boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, lover, friends, neighbors, co-workers, someone you met on the street, the person who served you breakfast this morning… the list is endless.
Stuff – You can’t rely on material things to make you happy but you can be grateful for those things. Your house, sofa, toothbrush, your great new grill, a favorite sweater, the computer on which you are reading this column. Sounds cheesy but you earned these things so be thankful for them.
Health – Your fitness, state of mind, your two legs that move you, your breath, your hair (or perhaps your gorgeous scalp sans hair!)
Daily happenings – Your job, your tasty lunch, a compliment someone gave you, a goal you reached, something you did today which was better than you ever could have thought possible.
Once you get started, you will build momentum and before you know it you will look at how long your list is and be shocked at how much abundance you truly have, and at how you could ever feel like you need more.
You have everything you need right now… just need to learn to notice it.
