How to Be Grateful (When It Feels Really Hard)

#30daysofgratitude #thankful #1000gifts

It all sounds great, right? It’s easy to want to be grateful. But what about when her house looks so much better than yours? Or when you see the pictures from that other family’s fantastic tropical vacation? Or when she has that great new designer bag and yours is from Walmart?

Or maybe it’s even harder. A sick loved one. A marriage on the brink. A job loss. Infertility.

How can we be grateful then?

There are three things you can do today that have the power to change your entire outlook no matter what you are facing.

I stood on the front steps wishing I didn’t have to ring the doorbell. Standing here was enough to make me feel small, less than, not good enough. Did I really have to go inside, too?

I shook off my feelings and held my breath. I could hear my friend walking closer to the front door, the knob turn and the door swing open wide.

Yup. It was as bad as I thought it would be. Her house was fantastic and mine was so…..not.

Have you ever been there?

Maybe not on my friend’s front steps, but in a situation where you couldn’t help but compare your reality to someone else? A situation that left you feeling anything but #grateful?

It’s easy to fall into the comparison trap, and easier still for gratitude to slip through our fingers as if it were never there. Gratitude is slippery and we need to grip tighter than I ever expected.

Even in the hardest places, there are three things we can do to hold tight to gratitude today.

Fake It

Yup. Sometimes you have to play dress up before you go to the ball. You have to practice before the big game. You have to….well, you get the idea. They don’t say fake it until you make it for nothing.

Start here when gratitude seems impossible (even if your teeth are clenched and your fists tight.)

Start Basic

I’m talking really basic; fundamental elements of life basic. Air. Sun. Eyes. Whatever. Pick things that don’t even register on a regular basis and be grateful for them.

Find a Diamond

Look at whatever rough place you’re in and find something you can be grateful for. Standing on my friend’s steps I could be grateful for the friend or that I have legs to stand there with.

Maybe you’re out of work — be grateful you have more time with your family. If you’re in a hospital — be grateful you have access to medical help. Find a diamond in the rough place and hold on tight.

Now it’s time to really commit. Grab a pen and a post-it. Write one thing you are grateful for today and put it where you can see it. Just start.

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Check out these great sites I’m linking up with: Literacy Musing Mondays, Purposeful Faith, Tea & Word Tuesday, Abounding Grace, Tell His Story, Porch Stories, Let’s Have Coffee, Worth Beyond Rubies, Moments of Hope, Tune in Thursday, Dance with Jesus, Fresh Market Friday, Faith ‘n Friends, Blogger Voices Network, Grace & Truth, Heart Encouragement