Be Grateful
There is something magical that happens to people who are grateful: they keep receiving blessings even when they are at their lowest point. So I will always be grateful.
— D. Soitout
Life is a strange thing. We move through our days without really noticing how lucky we are to be alive. We pass through wins and losses without fully grasping the forces that shape us or the story we are living. Today I needed a pause. I needed to look at myself, my life, my businesses, my impact on the world, and my impact on the people I love. I felt a little lost, the way anyone does from time to time. I needed to look back and be grateful.
I needed to be grateful for every loss, every hard stretch, every failure, every relationship that ended, friends I lost, and family members I lost. They built the path that led me to what I have today.
Everyone loves the story of the person who climbed to the top alone, stayed strong, made mistakes, fixed them, learned from them, and took risks others would never take. The truth is that no one ever does it alone. Not you. Not me. Not Bezos. Not Gates. Not even Zuckerberg.
Today I needed to remember, and I invite you to do the same. Remember who sat with you when you were sad, who guided you when you were lost, who told you “everything is going to be okay” when you were sure things would never get better.
The definition of success is not measured by how much sits in your bank account or how many people kiss your feet. In my case, success lives in the details we take for granted, the ones we get to live and receive because of a friend’s words, a brother’s hug, or a teacher’s advice.
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GRATITUDE VS NEGATIVITY
It is easy to complain and dwell. Falling into negativity is easy. For me, it shows up as a sense of being disconnected from myself and from a higher power. I start sinking into what is wrong in my life or in the world. Sometimes fantasies of impending doom or victim stories play on a loop in my mind. If I let that run too long, it can tip into depression.
I do not know exactly what to call it, but I believe you may know what I mean.
Focusing on gratitude reminds my heart, mind, and soul of the blessings around me. My narrow focus on what is wrong widens and reveals a world full of love, light, and hope.
We can shift our mood and our lives from black and white back into color.
EXAMPLES OF THINGS TO BE GRATEFUL FOR
1. Your good health: Not everyone has the fortune of living outside a hospital or without twenty pills a day just to keep their body working. Enjoy this gift the world gave you.
2. Your parents: Even if they are dysfunctional like mine, they gave you life.
3. Your friends: Often it is the quality of friendships, not the quantity. Even if you only count two or three people as true friends, be grateful those people share their lives with yours.
4. Your mistakes: If we never made mistakes, we would not learn much, so this is one of the things we should be grateful for. Your mistakes helped you grow into the person you are today.
5. Having a home: Whether you live in an apartment, a mansion, or a tent, having a place to call home is something to be grateful for.
6. The ability to read: If you are reading this right now, you already have a lot to be thankful for.
7. Breathing fresh air: Being able to step outside and breathe fresh air is a simple reminder of how many small things deserve gratitude.
8. Having a bed to sleep in: A bed is easy to take for granted until you do not have one.
9. Laughter: Without laughter, the world would be a sad place.
10. Time: Even though we often feel there is never enough, time is something we should never take for granted.
11. Clean water: More than a quarter of the world does not have access to clean water.
12. Books: Books let you enter another world from the comfort of home and offer an education not everyone can access.
13. Pain: Without pain, it would be hard to appreciate the joys of life.
14. Waking up today: Simply waking up today means you already have things to be grateful for.
15. Sight: Being able to see lets us appreciate the beauty of the world.
16. Air conditioning: Staying cool on a hot day is something people in past centuries could not have dreamed of. (Trust me, I lived six years in Culiacan, Sinaloa.)
17. The ability to learn: Being able to learn new things means we have infinite potential. Our situation is not fixed in time and can always improve.
18. Music: Music unlocks new emotions and opens your mind to a deeper level of self-understanding.
19. Vaccines: Many of us would not be alive without the vaccines we have today.
20. Money in the bank: Having even the equivalent of five dollars in the bank makes you richer than about 30 percent of the planet.
HOW TO PRACTICE GRATITUDE
In my experience, writing down what you are grateful for tends to work best, but it is not always required. Changing how you practice gratitude can keep it interesting and fresh.
You can write in a journal or take meaningful photos that capture:
- 5 things you are grateful for each day (the classic)
- Magical moments
- Daily blessings
- Anything that inspires and lifts you
- Beautiful things, people, or moments
- Heart shapes you notice throughout the day
- Thank-you letters to send or keep close to your heart
You can meditate with a focus on:
- Warmth circulating through your body
- Beautiful childhood memories
- Key moments in your life that warm your soul
- Attention on the most tense areas of your body
The options are endless. What really matters is that you return your attention to what feels good instead of what feels bad. Gratitude is a powerful tool available to you at any moment. All you have to do is remember it and come back to it.