Thankfulness

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

— Epicurus —

It is easy to get caught up in working hard for the future, imagining the things we will have, the places we will visit, and the exciting people we will be involved with. And it is easy to see all of the current problems, and spend energy thinking about what we don't have, going to bed with negative thoughts on our minds. But with all of that focus on the negative things in our lives and how we envision the future, we sometimes forget to stop and be thankful for the goodness we already have in our lives. If we are not thankful for the people and goodness we have in our lives now, then we won't be appreciative in the future, nullifying all of our hard work.

Take a few moments each day to think of what is good in your life. One of the practices I like to do before I go to sleep is to think of three things I am thankful for or was good for me that day before I go to sleep. And it is cheating to say the same thing every night — I have to think of even the small things in the day that was good, even if I wasn't quite ready to accept it at the moment it occurred.

By having gratitude and thankfulness, we open ourselves to little things that enhance our lives everyday. These moments build on each other to have a rich inner life leading to a Great Life.

— Shelly —