The Joy of Gratitude

I started off this year telling you why I don’t like New Year’s Resolutions and shared with you all how I like to do themes instead. Themes give me something to work for and something to work on. The definition of theme is:

The subject of a talk, a piece of writing, a person’s thoughts, or an exhibition; a topic.

So this year I chose the theme Guts! Last year was winning and even though 2018 proved itself to be quite difficult I believe I came out a winner! Why? Because to get through our storm I had to sit in an ark while the floods came and the animals got out of control and I survived! I survived and I am so proud of myself too. I am proud of my family and I am grateful for the storm. But it took a lot of guts to get through it. I promise you there was many a time I wanted to give up, but that voice deep inside my soul whispered to me, “You got this.” And I did have it and today I am a proud survivor and I know I am more than my troubles.

HOW?

How did I make it through our storm or any trial for that matter? I started with gratitude. Gratitude when all I wanted was revenge. Gratitude when I just wanted to run away. Gratitude when I hated the person hurting me. Gratitude for the person hurting me. Gratitude when I was angry that my family had to suffer this way due to past circumstances that I had no control over. Gratitude over EVERYTHING and EVERYONE! I found myself thanking God for those circumstances and for those people who were hurting me the most! Yep you heard me! Thanking God for the very circumstances that put my family in the middle of the worst storm ever.

WHY?

Why would I be thankful for the circumstances that caused the pain? Well, someone very wise put it to me this way, “Amy, what would happen if you begin to thank God for all your circumstances, good and bad, and continue thanking God even when more problems occur?” I thought about that statement long and hard and then guess what I did…I gave it a try. I started with writing down every morning something I was grateful for, anything, I mean y’all somedays it was as little as I got my teeth brushed and I got out of bed. Gradually my gratitude list grew. Slowly I got the courage to thank God for the circumstances we were in, the good, the bad, and the oh so ugly, and slowly but surely life began to change. I like to think of it as miracles began to happen. Miracles that were probably there happening all along, but I was too victimized to see them.

REALIZATION

What I soon began to realize was that a grateful heart is necessary for peace of mind. Peace….that is all I wanted and peace began with gratitude. It is very simple yet very hard. I know how difficult it can be to find something positive in situations. I also realize that sometimes it is downright impossible, but I also know if you try hard and look in every hidden nook and cranny you might be surprised how much an itsy bitsy bit of gratitude can help you.

PERSPECTIVE

When I started to realize how EVERYTHING that happens in my life is a gift I began to grow. The growth really took off when I became grateful for all the gifts. The pretty gifts, the ugly gifts, the ridiculous gifts, the gifts that really I had no use for, the gifts that caused me grief, all the gifts… when I changed my perspective and decided to be grateful for all the gifts I began to grow. I began to learn. I began to live! Live in the JOY of Gratitude! All it took was a slight shift in my thinking and my life began to change! Yours will too!

So I will ask you the question my dear friend and reader, “What would happen if today you started to thank God when problems occur?” I will then follow it up with, “And what would happen if today you started to write down at least three things you are grateful for?” What do you have to lose?

XO,

Amy

Ativafit Women Gym Bag with Shoes Compartment Sports Swim Travel Overnight Duffels Pink

ATIVAFIT

Buy on Amazon

It’s a new year and time for a new gym bag! Just got this one and I love it! There is even a place for my shoes! Get you one and we can be twinkies!