A Lot to be thankful for
I am sure we are all tired of hearing how “challenging” or “crazy” this year has been. It has certainly affected all of us, but in so many different ways. It has long been a personal view that it is your choices, actions, and decisions that determine your happiness and not your circumstances. Take a look at your situation: could it get any worse? Well then, it isn’t that bad is it? If it can’t get any worse, that means it can only get better – right? Gratitude will always get you further than blame. Be grateful for the options you have, the character you are developing and the lessons you are learning.
I have been blessed with a seemingly bottomless well of positivity, a gift I inherited from my dad. I believe I really got over all the unpleasantness of adulting as a kid. I was told a lot as a child that I was an old soul. I got easily frustrated and angry, I worried so much that I actually had to be taken to the doctor to investigate the possibility of ulcers. I don’t really know if there was a moment of clarity or acceptance at the world as it was, or a gradual settling, but as an adult I believe I live a less stressful life than many of my peers, not because I don’t care, or because my life is simply easier, but because of the mindset I adopted at a young age, and that timeless piece of wisdom:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
The Serenity Prayer by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr
This year a keen awareness has been thrust upon me, and I find I am Thankful for my God given cheerful disposition, and my ability to stay positive, resilient, and motivated through all the complete and utter madness of 2020. I am Thankful for my loving, supportive family. I am thankful for the awesome opportunities I have been granted not only this year, but all my life. I am thankful that I found my person, and he not only loves me, supports me, and lifts me up, but he also challenges me to be better. I think it may be possible that due to my ever present positivity I can also become a little complacent and start to drag a little in my motivations and he is there to remind me not only of who I am but who I COULD be. That is a role of paramount importance to play in my life. With all my talk of being grateful for what you have, that should not mean you must settle– it is perfectly acceptable to want more, but you must also put in the effort, make the decisions, take action! Yes- being satisfied with what you have instead of disappointed in what you don’t, is vital to your happiness, but moving forward, towards a goal will always provide more than fulfillment than standing still and blaming your circumstances for your unhappiness.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!