Gratitude and the love for life

"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich" Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Gratitude is everything. "Gratitude costs you nothing, but it is worth more than all the riches in the world" - The Power. We go through life expecting things, receiving things, and of course, we give things too, but are we really grateful for everything? I mean, we can say "thank you" for a gift, thank you for a dinner, or thank you for words of advice. But are we grateful for life? How many times a day do you say "thank you" for being as healthy as you are, or thank you for perfect eyesight, or just for being able to wake up to a new day? Sometimes we only really notice something when things go wrong. Like the saying "you never know what you have until it is gone" we take the absolute most precious things in life for granted too often. We are always complaining about the weather, the traffic, a relationship, work, or something. It is always something. We make life sound so terrible, but things are only as bad as we think they are. Reality is based on our own perception, our own interpretation. That being said, our happiness is in our own hands. If we think that we have a hard life, or bad luck, than we do. If we think we have a good life or good luck, than we do. It's all subject to interpretation. That's the beauty of it all! We make life SO much more difficult than it has to be. We accept just being okay with life. It doesn't have to be just okay. It can be as perfect as we want it to be. Sometimes we make up excuses like "it's different for me" or "you don't understand because you are not in my shoes" or whatever. But as long as you continue to make those excuses, you will continue to live just an "okay" life. You need to change your mindset before anything wonderful can happen. People look for happiness in things, in other people, in their relationships, but the thing is, you can only find happiness in yourself. If you are not happy, no one or nothing will make you happy.
One good way to remind yourself that life is not all that bad is to be grateful. "-Be grateful for everything you have received in your life (for your past) - Be grateful for everything you are receiving in your life (your present) - be grateful for what you want in your life, as though you have received it (your future)" - The Power
"To use the power of gratitude, practice it. The more you feel gratitude, the more love you give; and the more love you give, the more you receive." - The Power
When you have a bad moment, remind yourself of the good things in your life. It's not difficult. Don't use the excuse "it's easier said than done" because with that mindset, nothing will be accomplished. You have to put your thoughts and words into practice. DO IT.


I am grateful for my life.
I am grateful for the love that I have for everything and everyone around me.
I am eternally grateful for the love that I receive from everyone and everything around me.
I am grateful for my perfect eyesight.
I am grateful for....
my health and my body
for my family that supports me
for my house that provides shelter and warmth on these cold winter days
for my wisdom
for my desire to never stop learning
for my past experiences...
and my current ones
for my future experiences
I am grateful for the sun that shines everyday to provide us with life
for the beauty of the night sky
for the feeling of loving, and being loved in return
for having a job
I am grateful to have the money that I worked so hard for
for having a healthy family and healthy friends
for my education
I am grateful to live on such an incredible planet
I am grateful for diversity
for all of the difficult moments in my life that helped me grow so much stronger
for the people in my life that constantly challenge me emotionally and intellectually
for being able to hear
for all the lovely people that I have met and will meet
for moments that make me uncomfortable
for an open mind
for an open heart
for all of the opportunities that I have been given and will be given
for being able to walk
I am grateful for the fresh air that the trees provide
I am grateful for life
Thank you for my life.