Go to Quote Library | Submit a Quote | Previous Featured Quotes

Learning to be Grateful for the Good Fortune of Others
Part 3

See Your Own Blessings

I looked at my life with open eyes.
I saw that I had much for which to be grateful.
I felt humbled by my riches
and regretted that I took for granted
the abundance that already existed in my life.
How could I expect more from the Universe
when I didn't appreciate what I already had?
Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance

If you wish to change your thinking, you are practicing not looking at others, looking instead in three important directions: your source of spiritual strength, within yourself, and within arms' reach.

The second step is to open your eyes to your own blessings. It's human nature to overlook what we see every day. We are so accustomed to our surroundings we can't imagine being without them. We've come to expect a thousand little things to be there for us, and to work.

Wherever you are right now, pause for a moment and look around. Most of you are in your home or office. If you're at a public terminal, you live in a country that makes this possible. Smack in front of you is a box of wonders that allows you to explore and learn, and extends your horizons much farther than the people who came before.

There's a roof over your head, and you are warm or cool enough to be comfortable. Electric power brings you conveniences, your plumbing works. There is a meal within easy reach. There are people who love you.

Many of us have allowed our lives to become so full of demands and obligations, we've forgotten all about the small things that make us happy. You've got to find them again to see and enjoy them.

Which do you enjoy more? The light at sunrise, high noon, or sunset? What was the last thing that gave you a belly laugh? What smell from the kitchen puts a smile on your face? Is there a certain expression on a friend or lover's face that brings a warm feeling?

I challenge you to start a list of the things you're blessed with. Need help getting started? Some are talents you have. Some are your family and friends. What about your health, intellect, free will, and emotions. How about the ability to learn from your mistakes? Some of your blessings are material possessions.

One of the most powerful things you can do is this inventory of your blessings. They are what they are, right now, today. Making the list, remembering the things that make you happy, accepting your blessings for what they are - these are the steps that open your eyes.

When your eyes are open to your own blessings, your heart will be also. When your focus shifts from what you covet to what you have, the result is a 'softening', a bit of relaxation. Suddenly the edge you've been projecting to others - the one you didn't even know you had - won't be so rough.

When you are focused on your own blessings, you have a little more time for your loved ones, for savoring a small moment that might have slipped by before, or for treating yourself to something special because it makes you happy.

When you remember to enjoy what you have, what you have is more enjoyable.

- back to part one - back to part two - to be continued -

-Victoria Monfort