How often do you stop to appreciate the good things in your life? Like really affirm to yourself that bad days happen but it is not entirely a bad life?
The things that went well and beyond your expectations, the people who made you smile/laugh, or the food that tasted delicious?
It’s often those little insignificant things, the simple things, the funny things that slip right by and go unnoticed.
It can be all too easy to focus on what’s not going well in our days or life that we miss all the good stuff that’s right there in front of us.
Negative bias stops us from seeing the good stuff right in front of us, no matter how much good there is to be seen.
Gratitude isn’t about ignoring or avoiding your problems or challenges. It’s about giving you a more balanced perspective on life. Yes, bad things happen all the time but good things are surplus too!
I am incredibly grateful for the ability to revisit memories and things for which I should feel thankful when I am feeling like the world is conspiring against me and I cannot deal with it anymore. I still cling to them. They manage to calm and move me.
Here is 5 things I am grateful for in 2024:
1. Mi familia
I do not appreciate my support system enough for all the supporting they do; all the lifting and uplifting. I wonder what it is like for them to have an overachiever for a daughter or granddaughter, the constant dramas and non-existent potential problems fuelled by anxiety. I am so grateful for my biggest believers and cheerleaders and this is the thank you for being the exceptional people you are.
Yes. I am nothing without their love.
2. Writing!
Whew! I would not survive this life, unfortunately. I rely so much on my writing to get me through every and all situations. I am grateful for the gift of stories, really.
I write about anything I can form a compound idea around, and that is how I have made it this far off. I grieve in my words, smile in my faceless characters and I have lived vicariously through my stories.
Writing chose me!
3. Being a microbiologist!
I actually like my job, believe it. Above the fact that it keeps a roof over my head and puts food on the table, my job allows me a life. It is interesting too and requires a certain train of thought, and I cannot see myself in another profession that is not somehow related to microbiology. To think there was a times I had no idea what a microbiologist was or what they did!
You live, you learn.
4. My mistakes
I know that is a weird thing to say but I look at my past failures, poor decisions and mistakes with grace. I have learned so much from them and everyday, I continue to learn just how much they have shaped me as a person, a friend and as a partner.
Everything happens for a reason and no truer words have been spoken since. There are certain things that cannot be done no matter how hard we try. I am human, things go wrong and are thrown to chance. Failing is part of my human experience.
I am grateful for my previous shortcomings, they all led to the person I am now and boy am I thankful!
5. The muse that is love
Much of the world revolves around the people and things we love, down to how to perceive the world.
Love has started and ended wars, fuelled revolutions and permanently altered the course of humanity.
Love swallows me whole.
And not just romantic love, no. Love for my passions no matter how short lived, for the way I see things, for friendships that become anchors, for this life that does not go beyond 100 and for little laughs I share with the people I love.
I love. Without restrictions, hesitation or fear, no matter how charged with punishment love is. There will always be room for love in my life.
And this comes from my recent realisation that no one is meant to do this life alone!❤️
Make a habit of giving thanks for the good things you have in front of you , and the better things that are coming your way. It makes all the difference, I promise.
I am certainly proud of myself for how far I have come as a person, but I still know there is a lot of room for growth. What I have done so far is good and has served many purposes but I can always be better. So I pat myself on the back along the way, but I keep going, keep looking for spaces that foster and allow growth.
If you knew me back in the day, I’m proud to say that person doesn’t exist anymore.
Remember to give yourself credit for your non-material accomplishments, such as your character development, self-awareness and clarity, boundary-setting skills, and sense of self-acceptance, when you think back on what you wanted and what you have achieved.
Manifestation tip🕯️🪔:
Express gratitude for what you want as though you already have it.
You can be thankful of certain aspects of your life and yet feel worn out, frustrated, let down, or any other sentiment. Gratitude as well as emotions can coexist; you don’t have any obligation to hide what you’re feeling in an effort to stay positive.
Beloved reader, have a great day!🤍 dont forget to subscribe!❤️
Myra Trudea Okumu 