Tools for Transformation Tuesday: Count Your Blessings

If we aren't intentional about counting our blessings, it can be easy to lose sight of the abundance in our lives. When something goes wrong - whether a parking ticket, less-than-glowing performance review, or getting caught in the rain without an umbrella - that event tends to dominate our thoughts and color our interactions. But if we instead focus on  consciously acknowledging the many things that go right during the day - a genuine smile from a stranger, an unexpected call from an old friend, arriving at the metro station just as the our train pulls in - the abundance of our blessings is impossible to miss.

This idea is not new: everyone from church leaders to yoga teachers to motivational speakers encourages us to be recognize and give thanks for the good in our lives. But if you have yet to give it a try for yourself, let me offer another incentive: it will change your life. 

Sarah Ban Breathnach, the author of Simple Abundance, says, "You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life." And she is right.  When you begin to identify the positive events, people, and circumstances that surround you, they seem to multiply. It becomes impossible not to notice the small joys you encounter on a regular basis. Start small: name one thing each day for which you are grateful. I promise you will grow in awareness and appreciation of your abundant blessings.

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