How to be more thankful // Self Reflection
"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
-1 Thessalonians 5:18
Real talk for a minute…..
I strive to be thankful in all things, but it’s not always easy to do. There have been times when I have thought “well, if we had this” or “if I could afford that” or “it seems so easy for other people” or even “why is it always a struggle for me?”
Now, I don’t won’t it to seem like I think that way all the time, because I certainly don’t…. But lets be honest here, we’ve all thought or said these things a time or two before.
It’s easy to be thankful in the good times, but the moment something doesn’t come as easy or we are dealing with struggles, it suddenly becomes harder to be thankful. But here’s the thing….we aren’t told to only be thankful when it’s easy. We are told to “be thankful in all circumstances.” GUYS…. IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES!! It’s not easy be any means, but it is something that we should all strive to do.
So what’s the secret? How can we be more thankful?
I wish I had a magic answer, but a can tell you what has worked for me…..
The biggest change you can make to be more thankful is to change your mindset.
Once you can change your mindset, it becomes more clear how blessed we truly are.
I love the quote…..
“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have.”
YESSSSS!!!!!
Just stop and think for a second about something you wish you had, or an upgrade you wish you could make or a struggle you have been having lately.
Now…. think all the people that wish they had what you have or is going through something that you can’t even imagine.
It’s not about trying to make ourselves feel bad, it’s simply realizing how blessed we are......making us more thankful for everything we do have.
Real life example right here….
Lately I have been thinking and dreaming about living in a place we love and being able to have a better paycheck so we could live a little bit more comfortable. Now I could dwell on those things, or I can change my mindset. Instead of thinking “If only this or that…” I’m thankful for what we do have. Yes, we live in a place that we don’t absolutely love, but we have a roof over our heads and a cozy little home. And that paycheck….well thanks to that we have become pretty good at budgeting & saving.
I know that sometimes it is hard to be thankful, but if you can just change your mindset and see things in a different way, you start to see how blessed you truly are.
So I have a challenge for you....
Next time you find yourself wishing you had more or wishing something in your life was different, flip your thinking and be thankful.
It's amazing what a little mindset change can do.