“Discover the blessings in tragedies and disappointments by seeking rainbows after the storms.”
—Nancy Salmeron
Today, I woke up earlier than usual feeling the need to step outside into an extremely chilly winter morning. I did not have to be up so early, but something within me woke me out of my slumber. Although the winter morning was freezing and uncomfortable, I felt grateful. The desire I had to be out in the cold, despite the fact that I did not have to be, reminded me of how blessed I am to get to choose to get out of a warm bed to step out into the freezing cold. The choice was mine and that was beautiful!
Yes, I could have stayed longer in my cozy bed, but I decided to hit the gym a few hours earlier to start this beautiful winter morning. I planned to get a head start on the day by counting the blessings that exist in my life. As I drove to the gym, I decided to speak my blessings out loud. I know the power of finding gratitude in each day, so I practice that daily by writing down my blessings or saying them in my head. I also share my blessings with the people who are blessings in my life. However, this was the first time I said them out loud in the car as I was driving.
I said that I was grateful for the cold winter morning, my warm house and cozy bed, and my family. But I was also grateful for my past mistakes. I felt blessed that the life I once thought I wanted never became a reality. I spoke about how grateful I was for all my stumbles and for the relationships and friendships, which no longer existed in my life. I spoke about how grateful I was for all the mistakes that had made me wiser. Instead of feeling sad, my heart was filled with joy. I was overwhelmed with joy, peace, and contentment in my heart because the painful relationships that ended brought me better ones. I was grateful because not getting what I wanted brought me to where I am today.
Counting our blessings and discovering that what once made us sad had to go so joy could appear is a wonderful experience. I believe that to become more joyous in your life you must focus more on your blessings. When you practice gratitude with an open heart, even in difficult moments, you will discover joy. What life disappointment or painful event are you grateful for?
Here are some benefits of gratitude and how counting your blessings can bring better health— physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Gratitude improves how you feel physically.
People who are grateful for life tend to feel good about their bodies. Grateful people take care of their bodies by exercising, getting annual checkups, and loving the skin they are in. These people wake up being grateful that they are breathing and got to open their eyes. They don’t focus on their small backaches and other minor pains. They embrace them and know that it is part of getting older. When we show how grateful we are for our physical health, we take away the focus on the aches of our aging bodies. Gratitude takes the attention away from negative emotions by taking away the attention to toxic feelings. Being grateful every morning for the ways your body is working well is a fast way to develop contentment and everyday joy.
Gratitude improves our positive belief system.
Being grateful conditions your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions to stay positive. If you focus on what is good in your life, you start to develop a mindset of possibilities, not limitations. Try it! Think about something you do that makes you proud of who you are. For example, think of something that comes easily for you. Maybe you are grateful for your charismatic personality. Maybe it is something else. How do you feel now? Don’t you feel more confident? When you count your blessings and don’t focus on what you lack, you will feel better about yourself and feel better about your life. Gratitude will increase your positive outlook on life and will help you develop perseverance.
Gratitude uncovers the blessings in difficult moments.
Being grateful for the beautiful events and people in your life is a great way to continue to call more blessings into your life. On the other hand, appreciating your stumbles, downfalls, and disappointments can bring wisdom into your life. As life throws you curveballs, try to catch them by welcoming them and then appreciating that they exist. Can you recall the first time someone broke your heart? Remember how you thought you would never recover? Look at you now—stronger and wiser for what you experienced. Thanks to that heartbreak you learned to choose a better partner for yourself. Maybe you can’t see the blessings right away when you are dealing with a tragedy, yet if you trust and surrender to what is, I promise you that you will.
Recognizing your blessings will make you feel good. When you feel good, you will become more positive. When you are grateful for your strengths and ignore your limitations, you elevate your self-esteem. Seeing the blessings in who you are and not desiring to be anybody else, will make you proud of yourself. When you love who you are, but also seek to evolve, you will grow. Discover the blessings in tragedies and disappointments by seeking rainbows after the storms. Know that things that fall apart make way for better things to come. Be grateful for every experience in your life, because they all are part of bringing you to your destiny. Until next time, Believe. Change. Become.