I don’t know about you but I am often bombarded by messages to “be grateful” whether it’s from a friend, a Pinterest quote, or an internet meme. Truthfully, for the longest time I misunderstood what it meant. I thought being grateful was a nice way of saying “settling”for what you already have. It always rung negative in my mind.
grat·i·tude
ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/
noun
the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
But, ha, jokes on me–there’s absolutely nothing negative about that. What a wonderful quality!
Some days it really is hard to be grateful. I’m not going to lie, I get overwhelmed by every day life and sometimes I am living on driving the hot mess express. It’s hard for me to take a step back + really look around at our days and breathe in the beauty of the simplicity, the growth, the constant evolving our family is doing.
Sometimes the idea of these long days but short years make me feel stressed. I go though a mix of “I can’t wait until _______” and “I never want my kids to grow up/change”. It’s a full pendulum swing. Isn’t that silly?! I know I’m not the only one who struggles in this day + age to find some C A L M in their day-to-day lives.
I had previously wrote about a few life-changing habits I adopted a year or so ago. Those habits are incredibly helpful but I unfortunately don’t keep them all in on the daily. I’ve written an updated post that I have yet to publish because even looking back on it now, I realize I have changed habits since a month ago. I want to keep it relevant + accurate for my life, right now. I’m sure I will tweak it + post it soon.
Something I have really noticed that has changed my outlook on life + the notion of being grateful; the gratitude I feel on a daily basis is the Five Minute Journal. And no, this is not sponsored in any way–I had been eyeing this gratitude journal for quite some time + a little skeptically to be honest. But again, I am thrilled to be wrong.
For me, I am a person who, albeit is a huge dreamer, thrives on what I can see works + then applying it to my life and seeing the results…and I like my results fast. Anyone relate?! Hello, instant-gratification junkie over here. I’m working on it.
ANYWAY.
This journal has been such a treasure for me. Starting + ending my days with my attention focused on what I am grateful for, what would be amazing (and what was amazing) about my day, and a few daily affirmations (which I thought were going to be hard for me to do but turns out I LOVE THEM + they work wonders!) has really elevated my life. Starting my day off on the right foot, with a spring in my step, with my attention set on the positive has really amplified my goals and my dreams.
I am a pretty positive person by nature + I didn’t think that I needed much help in the positivity department but strangely enough, really understanding gratitude and what I am deeply grateful for has opened up my eyes to what an incredibly abundant life I lead. And it has ZERO to do with what I own or what I do. But it has everything to do with ME and who I am. And who I choose to surround myself with, put my energy towards, and what I deem to be worthy of MY love + attention.
And ya know, money matters + I like nice things. Being grateful for my life + really being much more aware of that which I have gratitude for (example: THE HEALTH OF MY CHILDREN–didn’t mean to shout at you but like, that’s huge right?!) has allowed to dream bigger and in turn, know that I can be/do/have anything that I want. And that includes a Louis Vuitton purse…it’s on my GOALS + DREAMS list y’all. Anddddd I know that I will own a LV + love it + be so proud of earning it (because that’s the thing right, you still have to work for these things to happen…I have loads to say on this, so may save it for another post!).
Gratitude has actually helped me prioritize, make me work harder + more efficiently, and ultimately have the power to say “no, thank you” to certain things that suck the LIFE out of me (this can also include chores or things around the house that I absolutely hate to do…). And hey, I should mention taking the time to sit + reflect first thing in the morning or right before bed has given me a chance to do something for me. It is an act of self-care + love and it literally takes me F I V E minutes but makes a significant difference in my life.
And gosh, I am grateful. For more than I think my words could ever fully express. Deep down, I know how incredibly blessed I am + how wonderful my life is. And how magical LIFE really is. Ya know those simple moments when the wind hits you just right? Or when you’re laying in bed and the morning sun shines in just “so” + it just empowers you, even just a tiny bit?! Well yeah, focusing on gratitude has made me hyper-aware of those simple but oh-so-powerful moments in my every day + I’m obsessed with it.
Do you take the time to write out what you’re grateful for?! What does gratitude mean to you? Pretty please (with a cherry on top!), let me know in the comments below.
Oh, and psssst…I am grateful for you!
