What Happens When You Start Looking for the Good
There is a reason I chose the name Grateful for Living.
Gratitude has been a part of how I try to move through life for a long time. Not because everything is always wonderful. Not because difficult things don’t happen. And definitely not because I walk around feeling grateful every minute of every day.
I don’t.
Gratitude, to me, is something much simpler.
It’s learning to notice what is still good.
And the beautiful thing is that the more intentionally we look for those moments, the easier they become to see.
Gratitude Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
You don’t need a beautiful journal.
You don’t need a 30-minute morning routine.
And you don’t need to come up with three profound things every day.
Sometimes gratitude sounds like:
The coffee tasted really good this morning.
Someone checked on me today.
My body carried me on a walk.
The sunset was beautiful.
I laughed really hard.
I have someone I can call.
I woke up today.
Small things count.
In fact, I think the small things are often where gratitude matters most.
Why Practice Gratitude?
Gratitude doesn’t erase problems or make difficult seasons disappear.
What it can do is help us stop allowing the difficult things to become the only things we see.
Research has associated gratitude practices with greater well-being, more positive emotions, stronger relationships, and in some studies, better sleep and lower stress.
But beyond the research, there’s something very human about it.
What we repeatedly pay attention to begins to shape how we experience our lives.
If we’re constantly looking for what’s missing, what’s wrong, what someone else has, or what hasn’t happened yet, it’s incredibly easy to overlook the life that’s happening right in front of us.
Gratitude brings us back to it.
Start the Day With Gratitude
The other day, someone shared a simple prayer or mantra with me that really resonated. I don’t remember the exact words, but the message stayed with me:
“Lord, thank you for waking me up today. Thank you for this new day and for the wonderful things it may bring.”
I loved the simplicity of it.
We often think of gratitude as something we feel after something good happens.
But what if we practiced gratitude before the day even begins?
Not because we expect everything to go perfectly, but because we’ve been given another day to live.
And maybe beginning the morning expecting there will be something good to notice helps us actually notice it when it comes.
A beautiful sunrise.
A conversation.
An unexpected laugh.
A kind stranger.
A quiet cup of coffee.
Sometimes the wonderful things aren’t big things at all.
We just have to be paying attention.
Try This for One Week
For the next seven days, before you go to bed, ask yourself:
What are three things I’m grateful for today? If you don’t have three, that’s okay. One or two are just fine.
But here’s the important part.
Be specific.
Instead of:
I’m grateful for my family.
Try:
I’m grateful my daughter called me today and made me laugh.
Instead of:
I’m grateful for nature.
Try:
I’m grateful I stopped long enough to notice how beautiful the sky looked this afternoon.
Instead of:
I’m grateful for my health.
Maybe it’s:
I’m grateful my legs carried me up that hill today.
The more specific you become, the more you begin noticing these moments while they’re actually happening.
And that’s where the practice gets interesting.
You start catching yourself thinking:
I’m going to remember this one tonight.
A good conversation.
Someone holding the door.
Your dog greeting you like you’ve been gone for six months when it was actually twenty minutes.
A breeze through an open window.
A quiet morning.
A hug you needed.
Nothing extraordinary happened.
And yet, something good did.
Don’t Just Feel It. Say It.
If someone made your day better, tell them.
Send the text.
Make the phone call.
Say thank you.
Tell someone you appreciate them.
Tell your spouse something you love about them.
Tell your friend you’re grateful they’re in your life.
Gratitude becomes even more powerful when it doesn’t stay inside of us.
A Simple Gratitude Practice
So maybe gratitude doesn’t need to be another complicated thing we add to our lives.
Maybe it’s simply this:
Morning: Thank God for another day and be open to the good that may come.
Throughout the day: Pay attention. Notice the little things.
Evening: Think of three specific things you’re grateful for.
That’s it.
Morning. Moments. Evening.
Start Where You Are
You don’t have to wait until life feels easier to be grateful.
You can be disappointed and be grateful on the same day.
You can be grieving and still be grateful.
You can want something more for your life and still appreciate what you have today.
Those things can exist together.
Being grateful isn’t pretending everything is good.
It’s remembering that even when everything isn’t good, there is usually still some good to be found.
So tomorrow morning, before you reach for your phone, try beginning with:
Thank You for another day. I’m ready to notice the good in it.
And tonight, before your head hits the pillow, think of three things.
Nothing profound.
Nothing perfect.
Just three little pieces of your life that you’re glad you got to experience today.
Then tomorrow?
Look for three more.
You may be surprised by how much good was already there.
Grateful for Living,
Beni ❤️
Thank You for another day. I’m ready to notice the good in it.
Being grateful isn’t pretending everything is good.
It’s remembering that even when everything isn’t good, there is usually still some good to be found.
Get Your Own Journal to practice Gratitude.
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