Start with Gratitude If You Want to Change Your Life
There is power in learning to appreciate the present moment while you pursue bigger goals and continue your growth.
We all strive to do well in life, going through different periods at a time. First, we may be focused on our career development. Then we’d start to think more about our relationships. What follows after that could be a look at our hobbies, finances, health, and so on. There’s always a next ‘project’ to work on that can help us become better versions of ourselves.
The problem is often when we start to make progress on a project, we become tempted to compare our progress to that of our friends, colleagues or even family members.
Greg McKeown writes in his latest book Effortless:
“When you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have. When you focus on what you have, you get what you lack.”
The thing about comparison is that it robs you of your sense of self. It plays tricks on your mind, it bribes your ego to believe in false statements as a way to feed the primal fear deeply rooted within.
The more we look at what we are missing at this point life, the less we are able to appreciate the areas where we are excelling. In our obsession to succeed in our next project, we may completely forget about our current responsibilities and the people that rely on us.
Any real progress starts with being mindful and respectful of where are you at this very moment while you look at the bigger picture, carefully planning your next move.
As Eckhart Tolle justly writes:
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
Think about all of your past choices, the people you met and the places you visited that led you to this moment.
Who are the people you want to say ‘Thank you’ to?
What are places that reminded you of your strength or creativity?
Are there any mistakes that you vowed to never repeat again?
If there was one thing could say to a younger you, what would you say?
Starting with gratitude is the key to creating a life filled with love, fulfilment and prosperity.
Every new day is a gift. It’s a chance to start over, to do better, to keep making progress towards the goals we want to accomplish.
With gratitude in our heart and mind, we can properly acknowledge all the good around us, while keeping a steady pace forward in our journey.
What’s the one habit that changed your life?
