Turn Your Struggles into Strengths with this One Simple Act
I have struggles and I’m GRATEFUL for them.
We all do. My life is not perfect and yeah it’s true I’m far from being perfect as well. Yet, everyday I get up and I am grateful. Why? Because I am at my BEST when I am grateful.
The truth is we all are.
Gratitude is essential to our every day existence, yet it is often misunderstood. Our minds are wired to be grateful after we have received something, whether it is a gift, love or even a compliment. But what about the gifts we already have? The gifts with which are intangible. The ones that we use every day and so often take for granted.
Every day, we take life for granted when we are not grateful.
Each and every morning we are welcomed with a new day; a new opportunity to right our wrongs, to continue working on our dreams, or to even simply just offer more love.
Be grateful for it.
Be grateful that you get to hear the sounds of your loved ones voices. Be grateful that you are able to see them, hold their hands and love them. Be grateful that even though at times they may be annoying or say something you don’t agree with, they are there. Be grateful they are there.
Every morning, when your feet hit the ground take a moment and imagine what life would be like without them. What challenges would you face then? What challenges would you face without your legs? Your arms? Your hands? Love them and be grateful for them. Even if they are imperfect they are yours.
Continue to chase your goals but don’t forget to stop on the journey and be grateful for that which you already have. That with which, you have already achieved. Truth be told, we all have so much to be grateful for.
We must feel gratitude for all of the pain we have experienced. All of the challenges, the ones we face today and the ones of yesterday. We must acknowledge that it is all of our challenges that have formed us into the strong, resilient, loving individuals we are today. Take a step back and remember every ache and pain you have felt when your heart was broken. Did you learn anything? Do you carry this with you and allow it to guide you on your way?
Truthfully, I am grateful for every horrible relationship that I have had. Why? It has taught me what I didn’t want. It has taught me what I didn’t deserve. It has taught me what is worth fighting for and what is not. It has even taught me about how much I needed to change. How much I needed to grow. If it wasn’t for those relationships I would have never been awakened to the one thing that matters most, me.
Without those struggles I would have never uncovered my strengths.
I am grateful for all of the NO’S that I received when what I wanted to hear was YES. All of those NO’S taught me to work harder and when I did they turned into YES’S.
One of my darkest struggles was dealing with the loss of my father. Am I grateful that he passed? No, of course I’m not. It’s a horrible thought to think. But I am wholeheartedly grateful for the lessons that I learned during this extremely difficult period. I learned how short life can be and just how fast it can be taken away. I learned to love more and to hold onto resentment less.
The loss of my father taught me that life was a gift and not one to take for granted. My deepest, darkest days taught me about life. A stage in life that I had never encountered before the struggle. They helped shape me into the courageous woman I am today.
I must be grateful for them.
I was taught smaller things that were equally important. That even when I’m tired or angry I must pick up the phone rather than hit ignore. Sometimes even when I’m hurt I need to be the bigger person. WHY? Because I have learned that letting go is so much more important than holding on. Repeat that again because it’s so true, letting go is much more important than holding on. I am grateful for this.
I am not going to leave you with advice on how to be grateful. I am only going to ask you to take a moment and consider the long list of things that you have to be grateful for. Consider people in your life, family and friends, your home, your spouse, your physical body, your mind, your heart, the beach, the mountains, your past hurt and pain, lessons learned, as well as all of your JOYS.
I am sure that if you truly thought about it you could fill a page, even more than one.
How blessed are you? How blessed are we?
With all my heart,
Melissa