How do you find gratitude? Do you hold onto a glimmer of hope? Or faith? One might call it “See the good.” In fact, I’ve received this nice quote on a card before.
Seeing the good is considered a practice of looking for gratitude in the smallest of places around you—and maybe even more so in the hardest times.
But then shit gets real. It’s really easy to let yourself fall into a black hole of sadness when life’s handing you curve balls and hard lessons. As I write this it seems like everyone around me, including myself, are going through major life shifts. Some shifts don’t feel great…but there is always light—even if it is a slim ray of light. IT IS THERE. That small light is a reminder that can bring peace of mind when you are going through a hard time. It’s a gift of grace that allows us to more easily trust and accept that all will work out in the end…even when you’re having doubts.
“Train your mind to see the good in all things.” —Paul Walker
Maybe it’s knowing that you have already been through so much and that life always works out as it should because it always does. Or maybe life is just starting to throw those curveballs. We don’t have to know ‘the why.’ We just have to trust. That’s the light that is necessary for us to root in.
I’ve been through my fair share of heartbreak and grief and everything in between. What has always helped me was aiming to look for the good—even if the only good thing was waking up that day. As I took steps back, forgot about the big picture, and focused on the little (good) things. So much of what I’ve done in the past was look to the future or the what ifs that left me with nothing but anxiety and depression for things I didn’t have moments or time to accomplish. I couldn’t enjoy what was right in front of me because I was not present in the now. To see the many blessings I have because I focused on what I didn’t have.
Usually it takes a traumatic event for me to even connect the dots. But I did it. I started out looking at the small things:
- Getting out of bed
- The ability to use my hand
- Learning to write again
Although these may seem small or trivial to a healthy person, these were things that were almost taken away from me. And so I was even more grateful for what I currently had and what was to come in the future. I couldn’t think of the future without gratitude for the present. Because if you focus on what you do not have, you spiral into the black abyss of what that is…and when you’re there it can be incredibly difficult to find your way back out again.
If you’re struggling moving past negative emotions, I encourage you to look for the good. Show gratitude for the smallest of moments. Learn to take pauses in your day that allow you to savor and be in the state of good.
You woke up.
You opened your eyes.
You are alive.
What else are you grateful for?
