GRATITUDE | 5 things I am grateful for



We all have great days where everything seems to go to plan and anything you set out to do goes well without any curve balls be thrown into the mix. Then there are days where we have absolutely no motivation, no drive and any plans we may have made go completely tits up and out of the window. The days that are not so perfect can make us bitter, makes us angry and leaves us focusing on all that is negative. This happens to me more often than not and instead of focusing on the negative I just have to take to take a step back from life and recognise the good in my life - put everything into perspective. 
 
When you get up in the morning what's the first thought that goes through your mind? Maybe you got up later than expected and now your whole day has been thrown out, maybe you're worrying about your bills? Or perhaps you are just a type of a person that worries about everything that doesn't go right. I would have to say that I'm definitely in the latter category because I worry about most aspects in my life and in hindsight these things are not important.

By figuring out that I need to stop focusing on the negative in my life has helped me so much. Honestly is all this worry worth an unhappy life? No. There's always a way to see through those worries. Perhaps you have some encouraging family or maybe some supportive friends, there is always some kind of a positive in all that is negative - I am a firm believer in this notion. By practising gratitude can be so beneficial for our well being and actually create a positive out look  therefore making us happier. So that being said I want to share five things that I am grateful for...


MY HUSBAND

Through the years we have fought to keep each other strong and overcome difficulties that we couldn't have survived without one another. I will forever believe that our love will get us through anything. Life can be so hard and can really throw some shit into the mix to try and push our limits. We've had great moments, bad moments and awful moments. But as a husband and wife we have learned to survive the bad moments that actually helps us makes us appreciate those great moments by making them amazing. I'm so grateful that my husband always seems to have enough strength to always stay strong, strong enough for the both of us and I couldn't really ask for more. I will always be forever grateful that I get to share my life with my husband and to have him by my side to see us through. I will always treasure our time together and I will continue to encourage him to chase his dreams, as I am sure he will do the same for me. I will be forever grateful for my husband...


MY DAUGHTER

Sometimes I will look at my daughter and think how can it already be more than two years since my beautiful lady came into our lives. It's been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for all of us, we've laughed, we've cried and we've even played with toys at 4am in the morning. We have watched her through the milestones and created so many great memories as a family of three. I know it's what everyone says when they watch their babies grow up, but time does really fly by. Becoming a mother has been one of the biggest accomplishments that I have made and probably will ever make in my life. A decision that I have made has never brought me so much joy and so much love into my heart. I honestly thought I knew what is was to love and being a mother is a love like you have never known.

But our journey into parenthood has been far from easy. It's been one of the most difficult things I have ever had to face so much so that I was told that it would be pretty difficult for me to have children of my own. Our emotional journey into parenthood really took it's toll on both my husband and I but I will be forever grateful that I was incredibly fortunate to become pregnant with my daughter, Amelia - a true blessing that I will never take for granted. I will be forever grateful for my daughter...
 
 

MY FRIENDS
 
 
Good friends are so hard to come by. I'm the sort of person who doesn't make friends so easily, it's hard for me to build a bond straightaway but the friends that I do have in my life I am so grateful for. They are always there if I need them, always waiting with open ears to listen to me and my woes and always willing to organise a cocktail night when I need a break. My friends play a crucial role in my life and I know that I would not have become the person I am today without them. I like to think myself very lucky that our paths crossed and then will always be a part of my life and I will be forever grateful for my friends. I need to be grateful when my friendships are strong and maintain gratitude when friendships aren't perfect. By being grateful I will appreciate and understand my friends so much more than I already do. But most of all, I hope that by basing my friendships on gratitude I can become a better friend.
 
The only way to have a friend is to be one  - Ralph Waldo Emerson
 
MY STRENGTH

Looking back to this time last year was probably one of the most difficult years of my life. It was a dark time for me. I was unhappy, I had no motivation to do anything, my self-esteem was at an all time low and I was so far from the real me I could hardly recognise myself. By me being like this was effecting so many aspects of my life - my marriage, my family, my friends and even to some a extent I wasn't being the parent I wanted to be.

Leading up to this time in my life - I had lost my beautiful nan and I still find it hard to try and talk about her and to watch how broken my family is without her. My husband has faced some difficult times with his health, being told bad news time after time. I felt as if we were dealt a really crap hand in life and couldn't see beyond the negativity. But as time passed me by and the more struggles I faced I began to realise how strong I actually am. I think that this goes for most people who go through awful times in their lives - we are in fact, tougher than we realise. The problem was that I didn't realise until I had no other choice but to face my fears and be strong, be strong for my husband, be strong for our daughter. I am a much stronger person than I thought and I will be forever grateful for my strength...



MY OPPORTUNTIES

We are always given opportunities, more opportunities than we realise. We have opportunities presented to us, we fail to see them because we are too focused on the missed opportunities of the past, present opportunities not available, or opportunities some distance away. But there are opportunities before you if you are willing to see them. Each day we wake up and everything has changed. People are gone, circumstances change and those opportunities are no longer there- we need to nurture those opportunities, grow with them and feel grateful for them...
There are so many opportunities that I am forever grateful for. For me in this moment I'm grateful for my blog and my readers, by having this little space on the internet where I can be myself, makes me feel grateful and happy. I'm able to turn all my thoughts and feelings into words without any kind of judgement. I love the fact that I can get all kinds of positive and supportive messages from amazing bloggers from around the world, more importantly I'm beyond grateful for the opportunities that this blog has given me. It's a breath of fresh air. It makes me feel as if I can finally get back to that fun, confident, out-going person I was and perhaps make me a better person.
 
 
During my journey of life I have experienced struggles, hardships and anxiety just like many others in the world. No matter how hard I tried to motivate myself and think positively, I just couldn't do it. I thought that maybe this was what life was meant to be. But after a long rollercoaster of a ride and having so many positive people surround me I can finally say that I am happy. Maybe the most simple and most effective way to be positive is to turn my focus to GRATITUDE and always be grateful for everything that is beautiful in my life.
Have a great day and don't forget to show gratitude!

7 comments

  1. That's lovely, we all need to remind ourselves every now and then how grateful we should be for the simple things. Sarah #PickNMix

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    1. Thank you for your comments and yes I cannot disagree we should be grateful for the simple things in life.

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  2. What a wonderful post, my husband and I have been through last year such a tough time and with out each other being understanding. So glad you have these wonderful people surrounding you #picknmix

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    1. I think that it's important to realise that all are stronger than we think but by having all these support family and friends helps us in the right direction.

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  3. What a wonderfully positive healthy way to look at things :) Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix

    Stevie x

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  4. Lovely post, it's easy not to feel grateful for things in the stresses of everyday life, so this is a fab reminder.

    #marvmondays

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  5. I couldnt agree more. Practicing gratitude is everything, especially when times are hard or things around you arent going so well. This is a really lovely list and im curious to know more about what you went through last year. I'd love to hear more about your story if its on your blog? Thanks for sharing this on #MarvMondays. Emily

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