Gratitude

It's unfortunately all to common to dwell on what we don't have and what we want instead of being appreciative of what we do have. In honor of thanksgiving I'm going to be going over all the things that I'm grateful for and all of the blessings that I have. First off, I have a loving family and plenty of friends whom I can talk to if I ever need to. I have two jobs that I'm moderately happy with as sources of income. I'm thankful that I have a roof over my head and that I have food to eat. My basic needs are all met and I have the opportunity to pursue what makes me happy in my free time. I'm grateful for the education that I was able to experience and for all of the amazing people that I met through that education. I'm thankful for the fact that I live in a country where I can express my opinions and make my voice heard. I'm thankful that I can partake in the democratic process of this country and that even if things don't turn out the way I'd like, I can still say that I truly did have a say in such matters. Above all I'm thankful for the life that I've been blessed to live and all the experiences I've had throughout it. I'm thankful that I've been blessed with the opportunity to travel the world and take in all the sights and experiences while traveling with both friends and family that made the experiences that much more meaningful. I think it's important to take time to show appreciation and take a tally of all your blessings to give you perspective on how good your life truly is. Dwelling on what you don't have and what you want is a pointless and irrelevant distraction that ultimately will make you a less happy person while taking stock of what you do have will remind you of what makes life worth living and keep you going even through hard times especially. Even if life isn't going well it's necessary to remind yourself of what you're grateful for because that's what really puts things into perspective. I'm not a very religious person but taking into account all my blessings makes me want to believe that there really is a loving God out there that truly cares about me and wants me to be happy even if he tests me with hardships from time to time. Be thankful, because life is too short to focus on the negative aspects of your life.