Daily Thanks

What I try to do every day is to give thanks for what I have and what I have been given. Every morning when I wake up, I am thankful for another day of life. Before praying and wishing for things I want, I always start off saying how grateful I am for what I already have. I do this because I know that being needy and unsatisfied constantly is a selfish way to live. As any other creature on the planet, I am also aware that my days on this planet are limited; none of us know how long we have in this life. Being thankful humbles me and makes me appreciate even the smallest details that make my life what is.

At the same time, I also look forward to whatever future I will have, and hopefully more success and personal fulfillment. I may not be the most ambitious person in the world, but I have goals that I have for myself. Being thankful for what I do have does not make me complacent and unwilling to change; after all change is an unalterable fact of life.

This may seem unrealistic to many people who feel that if they stay still for a moment to be thankful for what they have and have had is not possible. I see this restlessness in strangers and the people closest to me who are unsatisfied and unhappy for a variety of reasons. It is so easy to see the glass half empty, but to see it half full is a challenge. I do the latter because when I see those who have had more to suffer in life than I have, yet still forge through life with positivity and grace, I feel grounded. When I hear about those who go through unimaginable tragedies, it reminds me that I am no different than them; anything can happen at any time.

Being thankful is an essential component of my daily life. It gives me strength to face challenges of all kinds, even when I am less grateful on some days rather than others.