I strongly believe that our lives are better when we are more aware of those things in our life that we should be grateful for. In a busy, sometimes stressful world, a great way to do this is simple exercise where we list the positives in our lives followed by a short ‘why’.
There are no hard and fast rules, but here is a format that works for me and the people I work with. Take a clean sheet of paper (or screen), write in the middle in a circle ‘What I am grateful for’. Simple fill the page in other circles with the things that you appreciate in your life. For example …
‘What I am grateful for’
- My family. Why? They love me and I love them.
- My partner / wife / husband. Why? If we are lucky, they are our best friend and someone to share our life with.
- My health. Why? Without it I can’t be there for my family and live a full life.
- My work. Why? It allows me to fulfill my life’s purpose.
- My friends. Why? They add value to my life and I add value to theirs.
- Where I live. Why? It allows me to live the life I want to live.
- The ability to make decisions about what kind of a life I have.
By the way, the exercise isn’t over until you have done two more things.
- Expressed thanks for each of the things that you are grateful for. Eg, tell you family you love them.
- Identified what you need to change to have a better situation in some areas of your life.
This time of the year is a great time to reflect and take an hour to complete the exercise.