Include All Things In Your Gratitude

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude”. by Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is the quote I currently live by, because I've learned that what you take for granted, can be taken away from you, to later make you reflect and miss that thing you took for granted. Ha! If that makes any sense to you.

When I write out my goals, I write:

-The Goal

-How will I accomplish this goal? What things do I need to do to accomplish this goal?

-What will I miss if I accomplish this goal? What am I grateful for today?

So, I think about what I want to accomplish and with that, what I will miss if I do accomplish this goal.

For example, I know the exact house I'd like to one day purchase. It's on my vision board. It's the house of my dreams! A beautiful four bedroom, one story house worth $450,000. What will I miss If I ever do accomplish this dream...? Well, it's easy to say, I won't miss my two bedroom apartment if I'm going to move into a bigger, and nicer home. BUT, subconsciously thinking, there is actually a lot that I'll miss as I've had a lot of great memories here.

For one, it's a nice apartment, and one I dreamed of living at before I moved in. Two, it's been my home for two years. And three, I worked hard for it.

Thinking about the things that you'll miss will make you have more appreciation and value for all things that contributed to reaching higher goals, and to the memories created and hard work you put in while striving for them.

Speaking from experience- I've lost many things I've taken for granted, because I kept thinking about the things I wanted, and I put more value in that, not appreciating the things I already had.

So now, I make sure to put value on the present and everything that occupies it while working on my future.

Isha