Last year was a year of serious growth for me. I matured in my personal and professional life; most importantly, I grew my relationship with God. I attribute that growth to a couple of things, the main one is that God tugged on my heart and sought my face in such an intense manner that I spent time with him even when I didn’t have a distinct desire to do so. Another reason for this growth was my intentional decision to start each day with an attitude of gratitude.

I literally started counting my blessings. I thanked God for the morning sun, the chirping birds, coffee, bubble baths, wine, my mom, my dad, my nephews, my brothers, my sister, and my brother-in-law. I thanked God for my job, for my check, for my apartment, my groceries, my roommate, my car. I thanked God for my co-workers, my old friends, my new friends, my best friends, and my boyfriend.

I approached every situation with an unreal, and initially insincere, amount of gratitude. My philosophy was, and still is, fake it ‘til you make it. As you fake gratitude – or whatever new mindset or attitude you wish to achieve, you start to train yourself and even trick yourself into actually being grateful and adopting that new mindset. By taking the simple step of actively thanking God for what He has provided for me, I significantly increased my quality of life. Here’s what I learned when I adopted an attitude of gratitude:

Lesson #1: You have way more than you think you do

It’s interesting, when I started actively thanking God for my blessings, I realized, I was mostly thankful for intangibles or naturals. Meaning I was thankful for the birds and the sun. I was thankful for that feeling you get when you check everything off of your to-do list. I was thankful for my senses – the ability to smell and see everything that God has created. 

Lesson #2: We take a lot for granted

Some things started to pop up that I might have initially been extremely grateful for, but as time went on and novelty wore off, I began to take them for granted. Things like my car, my laptop, my apartment, my job, etc. I started to see the flaws and hassle that comes with maintaining all of these things and found myself complaining about the work that came with my blessings. When I intentionally shifted my focus to be grateful for these things, I recognized every segment of my life that these items affected.

I have a car to get me from point A to point B, I have a laptop that allows me to share my voice on my own platform, I have a place to call home and a job that provides me with the ability to live comfortably.

The next time you start to complain about getting an oil change or how slow your computer is running, stop and shift into an attitude of gratefulness. Before you go off about your apartment management or complain about your job remember that you have a place to call home and the means to provide for yourself.

Lesson #3: By training my heart to be thankful, I made room for God

God enjoys a grateful heart. The more I turn my heart towards thanking Him, the more I noticed Him taking up residence in my heart. God’s will is for us to be thankful in every situation, to find the sunshine in the rain. When we make it a point to do that, He wants to dwell in us and when He dwells in us we reach the pinnacle of peace in whatever situation we are facing.

It is safe to say that shifting my focus to be grateful within my circumstances has immensely changed my way of thinking. I’ve learned to see the blessing when I’m tempted to complain. I’ve learned to wonder at everyday things, I’ve learned to take joy in the song of a bird and the rays of the sun. I have taught my heart to be grateful and furnished it to be a fit place for my KING to reside in. I have discovered an indescribable level of peace that comes with resting in the presence of my all-sufficient God who blesses me in ways that I sometimes fail to notice.

So the next time you find yourself wanting to complain, do yourself a favor and start counting your blessings. I promise you, it’ll change ya life ;)