Friday, November 14, 2014

Letter To My Children - Being Grateful



Sometimes in life we find ourselves forgetting or neglecting to see how much we have to be grateful for. It's easy to get down, angry and upset over what we feel we DON'T have in life. What is important to remember is you should always be thankful for what you DO have.

I am not saying, don't strive to have better. I am not condoning status quo. I am simply stating that being grateful for what you have starts with knowing what grateful means.

Being grateful simply means appreciating the good you have in your life. The blessings that you sometimes don't focus on. Looking right past all that is positive in your life instead focusing on the thought that you deserve more, better, bigger.

You do deserve it! You should have it. We should all  have what we want in life. Hard work, good thoughts, feeling from your heart and doing what you can to get there is what is necessary. However, life sometimes gets in the way of everything going as planned but that still doesn't mean you shouldn't be grateful for what you have!

Over the years, I  kept a Gratitude Journal. Unfortunately I didn't always keep it up but I love looking at it now. Every day I had to write 5 things that I was grateful for. Sometimes it was as simple as a good cup of coffee or waking up to a song I love. Other times, it was a compliment from a boss or friend.

Unfortunately in life some don't know how to be appreciative and grateful for the things they have. They weigh themselves down with feelings of inadequacy and longing for more.  They spend all their free time thinking about how they resent what others have or expect that others should be the reason for them to be grateful. If you can't be grateful everyday for what you DO have, you will spend many years, consumed with worrying about what you don't have.

DON'T
  • Don't spend anytime thinking of what others have.
  • Don't blame others for what you don't have.
  • Don't expect that you should have because someone else does
DO
  • Do what you can to be your best
  • Do count your blessings everyday (even the smallest ones)
  • Do reach out for help if you can't see the positives in your life. There is no reason to suffer alone! Everyone needs help once in a while.
  • Do keep a gratitude journal when you need one. You will be surprised at how much you have going for you.

If nothing else remind yourself that gratitude cultivates positive thinking. Positive thinking leads to happiness and well being. Happiness and well being leads to empathy, energy and optimism. 


11 comments:

  1. Great advice, Maria, for kids and adults alike.

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  2. Hopefully I've instilled this in my own children.

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  3. It's all we can do to teach our children to be grateful - nice advise

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  4. Reminds me of that old hymn, "Count Your Blessings" -- "Count your blessings, one by one..."

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  5. Great post! I wish all kids could be taught this .

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  6. I believe in always being grateful for what you have and not to look at what others have.

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  7. This is so important. We remind our children all the time to be grateful for what they have. We like to include them in volunteering and giving back to teach them to be thankful.

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  8. What great advice to remind us all that we need to be grateful! Thanks for the reminder!
    andysavi.mom@gmail.com

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  9. Anonymous10:35 PM

    What a wonderful post and advice Maria. Yes, our children need to focus on the blessings they have and be truly grateful. My kids were thankful for hot food and showers after we didnt have electricity too. I try to teach my own kids to be givers instead of getters, not just material things but the gifts of kindness and compassion are free to share.
    marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
    Merry

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  10. I love the idea of having a gratitude journal. Sometimes we all need reminders of our blessings!!

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  11. This is so true, I always say you should be thankful for what God has given you. And do not take it for granite-

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