Taking time to be grateful for the positive things in our lives. Internet hunting

[Disillusioned]

and gathering.....

Things That Went Right Today…or Developing a Sense of Gratitude

It is very easy to dwell on the negative. The ego loves to find fault within and without. Negativism abounds everywhere in the form of complaining and whining these days. Perpetual negativism quickly becomes a label you wear on your forehead: I am a victim! Victim consciousness is rampant in our society, but for every complaint there is a bright side to look at. There is a silver lining to every grey cloud. Yes, there is much in the world that is positive, much in the world to celebrate! All it takes is looking at the world through a different pair of lenses. Ilan Shamir, has turned his advertising executive skills toward making the world a better place. One of his slogans is this “1,000 things went right today.” It is his effort to turn people’s attention away from the negative and focus on the positive. GREAT IDEA! Ilan’s idea is that nothing should be taken for granted, and he’s right. We have much to be grateful for, much to be appreciate of. Gratitude is a perception that is easy to adopt. Give it a try.


Can you think of 1,000 things that went right today, or even yesterday? Can you thing of ten things that went right? Sure you can. Make a list— start with 10 things. Start with the obvious: breathing (some people cannot do this easily), walking with two legs, having three meals to eat, having a roof over your head. Add to this list things you ARE grateful for. It shouldn't be hard. At the end of each day before you lay your head on the pillow, come up with ten more things that went right today. Take nothing for granted. Let this be the lens in which you choose to see the world.

Personal note: This is why it is so necessary to take time to appreciate the positive things that happen in life…our gratitude list. While dealing with PA in a marriage can feel over-whelming, it is not the only thing happening in the world, even though it feels like it is the main thing happening in our own lives. We have to take time to see the positive things and connect with them for the benefit of our own health and well-being. Gratitude lists are awesome and life lines to recovering and healing.

[Jenny]

I was thinking of this yesterday! I have so much to be grateful for, the list would be endless. But there is one thing I thought was a curse that has become a blessing.
I moved from Hawaii to Indiana this past year. We live in the middle of farmland and 90% of our neighbors are amish. The nearest town is 20 minutes away and there really is nothing there, a post office, municiple building, small country store, 3 antique stores and 3 small restaurants. My nearest neighbor lives a mile away and is amish. Our house is on a dirt road where we have more amish horse and buggies that go by than cars. I am surrounded by my landlords farm animals. It is very isolating. And i hated it so much and felt so lonely.
BUT I am grateful to be here. I can turn off the computer, the tv and radio. And the world does not bother me. I can walk for miles with my daughter and not have to see girls in racey clothing. Only the amish girls in there full dressed attire even in hot weather. There are no billboards with seductive advertisements. The store near us has no magazines for sale. I can go all day without seeing anything that could upset the apple cart of my mind. But if I feel I can handle, I can drive 45 minutes to a "real" town and go to the stores I love and do fun things out and about.
It isn't isolating as I thought. It is helping me relearn that there is more to life than what society makes seem so important. Or that my H shows is important in PA. Being here, stuck in the middle of nowhere has taught me it's what is on the inside of a person that is important, not how much flesh one shows or how they look.
And it gives me time to slow down and really enjoy my little one too!
thank you for posting this! I am not sure if we were to reply but I couldn't help it!