“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” – Epictetus
It’s the holiday season, so let’s take a moment to think about what we’re thankful for.
It’s an important focus, one that hopefully we do more than once a year.
It is easy to focus on the bad.
One bad thing can overshadow swells of good things in a moment, and make it seem like the bad is all there is.
Emotionally/physiologically speaking, we’re wired to do that for survival.
That’s why the consistent practice of focusing on gratitude is so important.
It helps us to widen our plane of view, to step back and see the entire picture.
The good WITH the bad.
Life is full of moments in time, that we tend to apply judgement and emotion to.
When we step back, we get the opportunity to realize that we have more good in our lives then we imagined in the moment, and we can also begin to notice that we have assigned negative emotion to things that really are benign in themselves.
In short, by focusing on the things we’re thankful for, we reveal that we have more good things, and less bad things than we think.
I offer up a simple goal: That you let this holiday season be the kickstart to a habit of consistent gratitude.
That you begin to explore the good WITH the bad, to see your world more clearly.
I am thankful for you, for your support, for your engagement, for your connection.
Make today an incredible day.
Choose joy.
Go forth and be awesome! 😎
Aaron Jannetti 