Harvey, Jason - Achieve Anything In Just One Year - Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals

— Buddha

Gratitude is an important attitude no matter what is going on in your life. Even if your current situation sounds like a bad country song—you lost your job, your truck, your significant other, and your dog all in one day—find at least one thing, no matter how insignificant, to be thankful for. It’s important to practice being grateful, even in the bad times, because if you are able to lift up the good things in your life, you open the door for more of the same. On the other hand, if you keep pointing out the rotten stuff and the disappointments, you might become a magnet for even more bad news.

Your assignment today is slightly challenging. Are you up for it? This may take more than one day to complete, but don’t let it run on forever. Try to complete it within a week. Make a list in your journal of 100 things you are grateful for. They can run the gamut from being thankful for the love of family to something as simple as being thankful you woke up that morning. Duplications don’t count. You must come up with 100 different items. This list will be very helpful in the future. It will become a reference for you on bad days.

The quote above says it brilliantly. If you can’t be thankful you learned a lot today, be thankful you learned a little. If you can’t be thankful for your health, be thankful you’re still breathing. There’s always something positive to put on your gratitude list. Some days it’s more difficult to find than others, but it’s always there. Capitalize on the positive aspects of your life, and you will continue to move forward toward success.

DAY

232

“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”

— Albert Schweitzer

Terri could feel the light within her slowly going out, but she didn’t have any idea what to do about it. She had always loved horses and had been a successful competitor in national horse shows since her teen years. But it was a costly hobby, and she just didn’t have the money to continue in her mid-twenties. She now had young children who came first. There was no way she could justify spending thousands of dollars on horses and leave her daughters wanting. So she sold her horses. It was an easy decision at the time, but now she felt unfulfilled. She missed the time she spent riding. The light of inspiration was getting dimmer.

Then a miracle occurred. Terri’s own cousin started a therapeutic riding school, and he was in need of more trainers. He casually mentioned it to Terri at a family Christmas party, and her eyes lit up. She immediately offered herself as a volunteer twice a week. In the months that followed, Terri blossomed. She was able to ride again without the expense, and she had the additional joy of helping special-needs students. The spark her cousin offered through his own new venture rekindled the light in her soul, and she was filled with gratitude.

Who has been a light in your life? Who gave you hope when you were in despair? Write about your experience when someone reached out and helped you. Then journal about ways in which you can become the spark in someone else’s life.

DAY

233

“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy—because we will always want to have something else or something more.”

— Brother David Steindl-Rast

How do you feel today? Do you feel happy? Or do you have a gnawing feeling in your gut that signals how much you yearn for more than you have right now?

Practicing gratitude will help you to feed that need in your soul. It is important to strive for more—especially when you are on the road to success—but you have to stop on the path to achievement and be grateful for all of the wonderful things that are part of your life right now. Are you aware of the good things in your life? Some people will never be satisfied until their ultimate goals are achieved, but that kind of tunnel vision robs them of a host of events that happen every day in real time that should be celebrated. They don’t even notice them.

If you are too focused on the finish line, you might miss the best parts of life.

Work on increasing your awareness. Stop reaching for ultimate happiness and concentrate instead on awareness. What do you notice? What surprises you? Be aware of people, places, and things. Pay attention to the mood of your co-worker. Maybe there is something you can do to help them if they’re having a bad day. Take a look at the progress of that construction site near your office. How is it going? Awareness is your assignment today.

DAY

234

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

— John F. Kennedy

To this point, you have shown your gratitude by writing lists. There are other ways in which you can express gratitude, and John F. Kennedy mentions one very important one in this quote. The highest form of appreciation is to live a life that is full of gratitude. That is even more important than saying thank you or writing down a gratitude list. It is the final step.

How exactly do you live by words of gratitude? It makes sense to say, “I’m grateful for my family.” But how do you live by that? Think about ways you might live your gratitude.

You can start by telling your family members you love them. Here are a few other ideas: hug your kids; call your mother or father just to see how they are doing; complete a chore for your significant other that you know they don’t enjoy, like cleaning out the cat box or straightening up the garage; or drop your over-competitive compulsion to win every time you get together with your brother on the basketball court. All of those things are fairly easy to do, but they put words into action. They show the people in your life that they are important to you, and you love them. Anyone can utter words of gratitude. The words take on greater significance when they become actions.

DAY

235

“Tests build our testimony.”

— Nicole Johnson

Nicole Johnson was crowned Miss America in 1999. If you knew nothing except that one fact about her, what would you assume? She’s probably got a lot going for her—looks, education, a really white smile. She must live a charmed life, don’t you think? It’s hard to be beautiful.

Ms. Johnson also suffers from diabetes. Does that change your image of her?

Her quote here reveals a lot about her character. The tests she has faced so far in life don’t limit her. They are the bricks and mortar that build her testimony. What a unique attitude. She is putting her gratitude into action.

You have two choices when you face difficulties in life. You can learn from them and overcome them, or you can let them limit you. It is completely up to you which route you decide to take.

You are wasting your time if you try to find someone or something to blame for your circumstances. That will provide you with nothing in the way of good materials to build a happy life. Let’s say you’re right. There is someone to blame. Once you put the responsibility on them, what do you have left? You have just given all of your power away.

Let your tests build your testimony. Forge through the difficult times and learn how to conquer your problems without passing the responsibility on to someone else. That will build the story of your life. It can be a heroic tale if you want it to be. You’re the author.