Be Grateful…No Matter What

I will wholeheartedly admit that gratitude doesn't always come easy for me. We all know what we want our lives to look like. Sometimes we get that life, and sometimes we don't. But what happens when we get the things we want in life? We usually become dissatisfied even though we thought we'd be happy with our accomplishments, relationships, careers, and lives. Why is this almost everyone's story?

It seems we are bound to reach another realm of unhappiness no matter what we do. We adopt this attitude because we are not grateful for what we currently have and take our lives for granted. We forget how excited we originally were to enter this phase of life. The once sought-after situation loses its luster, and we eventually become somewhat disenchanted with our lives. Our perspective is skewed because we tend to focus on the negative.

What about when life throws a wrench in your plans? I'll be the first to admit that my life has not gone according to my plan. The picture in my head of how life is "supposed to be" made me suffer when compared to the life I'm actually living. Expectations can be your worst enemy. I'm here to tell you that suffering is not the end of the story. Unfortunate events in our lives can serve as great teachers. Harmful and undesirable situations can show you your strengths and serve as great sources of motivation.

So things didn't go according to plan, and you're now in a situation you never thought you'd be in. We always have the choice to make the best of what we are given. We always have the opportunity to see the good in the bad because it's always there. We can constantly shift our perspective to a good one - always - no matter what life throws at us.

I encourage you to take a moment to be happy where you are in life. You are blessed beyond all measure, even with your flaws, bruises, and scrapes. We are blessed even if we are in a different place than we thought we'd be. We are all fortunate to have this opportunity in front of us. What opportunity? The opportunity to be our best selves in every situation, no matter what. Life will continue to throw you curve balls. Be agile in your approach and pivot. Be grateful for your life just as it is today.

You can actively pursue your goals and still be grateful for what you currently have. It all comes down to this: if you don't appreciate your life, you waste it one minute at a time. All life situations can be used to improve our condition. We only have to be grateful for what we are given and creative enough to use it to get to where we want to be.