Gratitude is something that can help us all begin to appreciate everything that is going right in our lives.

Sometimes, when we get so stressed in our own issues and problems, it’s hard to remember what’s actually going well.

But, remembering what is going right can really help put things in perspective.

I know when I’ve had bad days, the scenes from the day can replay over and over in my head. Or, sometimes I can’t think of a great solution to a problem at hand.

That’s where gratitude comes in. It’s another tool that can really help all of us solve various problems by reducing the seeming acuity and severity of an issue.

Gratitude Comes in All Places

The fact that you’re reading this is reason enough for gratitude. I’m thankful you’re here but then it lends itself to so many other things: you’re literate, you have some time to read this, you have access to the internet, you have a device that allows such access, you maybe googled this website.

So, right there are five things to be thankful for:

1. Being literate. Once upon a time, most people weren’t. Even today, there are many people who are not. They are cut off from finding information that could better their world. Thus, if you’re alive now, you have experienced access to one of the most powerful tools for self-improvement that could, in turn, change the world! I’m so glad you’re here and that you’re literate and reading this!
2. You have time to read this. In some parts of the world, some people work 18 hours a day…as slaves. But here you are, able to take in information and not be too tired to do so. This is definitely something to be thankful for. I’m so glad that you’re here and that you have a moment to spend with me. 
3. Access to the internet is quickly spreading across the globe, but still, “only” 3 billion out of 8 billion people on the planet have access to the internet. That means that all the information that is out there, and all the ways of banking, making money, reading a book, buying goods, making videos – more than half of the people on the planet do not have access to these seemingly ordinary tools. I’m so glad you have access to the internet to find things to help you feel better today.
4. If you have a device that can access the internet, there are also many things for which to be grateful: the people that mined the ores and metals required for those electronic devices, the people who put those things together, the people involved in shipping the assembled products, the salespeople whose job it is to sell you those products, and finally the earth itself for giving us the resources with which to create all those devices and the folks who invented the Internet so that we could use those devices for which they were intended. I’m so glad for the folks that helped us connect – right here and right now.
5. If the cofounders of Google had sold it off like they wanted to, we wouldn’t have the powerful search engine that is also responsible for many new inventions: Gmail, Google drive, Google Glass, the possibility of auto-driven cars, and much more. Perhaps some other folks would have picked up where they might have left off, but we’ll never know. What is for sure is that thanks to the hard work of so many people, we have – at our fingertips – some of the most powerful means of self-empowerment and ways to change the world for the better at our disposal. I’m so glad that you found this website – I want to make your day a little brighter and better! I’m so thankful for YOU!

Back to the “bad” day.

It’s hard to remember to be grateful, but I’ll share with you some insights I’ve learned over the years with regard to those:

1. Bad days make us stronger.
2. Bad days help us to really appreciate the good days.
3. Bad days help us to release our emotions (hopefully in healthy ways).
4. Bad days can spur us into action to improve our lives, or the lives of others.

I don’t want to trivialize what anyone’s feeling when it comes to a terrible experience or day. I just want to gently point out that when all seems bleak, practicing a little gratitude can be helpful in putting things in perspective.

I am grateful for you, the reader. I’m grateful that you’re alive and breathing and able to read this. I also wish you many blessings and a wonderful day!

What sorts of things can you think of to express gratitude that you may not normally think about?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• family and friends
• running water
• warm showers
• warm weather
• heat in the house when it’s cold
• enough food
• enough clothing
• a safe place to live
• a car that is running properly
• your health
• a job that supplies a paycheck

Perhaps you don’t necessarily have all the things on this list. Indeed, there are people around the world who don’t. But if you do, it is something that is going right in your life?

And even on the bad days: tomorrow is a new day and a gift of 24 hours to help put distance between the last 24 hours.

Time, in that sense, can be such a gift.

I wish you better days in the future and I’m grateful to you and your wonderful human spirit!