All too often we only set aside one time per year to really, truly give thanks for all we have. Even those who feel they don’t have alot have one thing we should all be thankful for; the gift of life. Beauty is all around us and if we can capture that sense of continued awe when we stop, take a breath, and appreciate all of the things we enjoy but take for granted, the world instantly looks like a better place.

Gratitude and appreciation is truly the conduit to happiness, a sense of purpose, and a fuller life. I’ve been meaning to start a gratitude journal for quite awhile now, and the idea struck me that it would be even more powerful to share it and inspire others to do the same. My aim is to find one thing to be grateful for each day which will force me to dig deeper to see tiny details that make our lives great but go overlooked.

Without further ado:

#ThankfulThursday – 4/9 – 4/15/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

4/9/2015 – Hustlers (not the con type).

As someone diving into the world of startups, I’m basically obligated to be thankful for “The Hustle.” The Hustle is making things happen, often in unorthodox ways, with extremely limited resources. This basically equates to just working really hard and finding creative solutions to roadblocks. To all the Hustlers everywhere making it happen, you’ve got a fan in me.

4/10/2015 – Teachers.

Teaching is one of the noblest professions and is often relatively thankless. Teachers take many forms, not just in the classroom, and they’re accelerating learning, growth, and progress. They allow their pupils to quickly learn what may have taken them a long time to learn themselves, which produces a knowledge acceleration that is remarkable.

In many cases, it is an under-appreciated role with big-hearted intentions and I’m thankful for all the teachers, and all the forms they’ve taken over the years, who’ve helped me get to where I am at this moment.

4/11/2015 – GPS (Global Positioning System).

I wonder how we ever got around unfamiliar locations before GPS. One thing is for certain: it’s made navigating big, unfamiliar cities wayyyyyyy less stressful. And this is arguably the simplest thing GPS does that benefits me every day.

Then there are fancy new toys, aircraft autopilots, keeping you from getting lost, surveying, and so much more that relies on the magic of GPS.

4/12/2015 – Great customer service.

I’ve been hosting websites for a decade and have used Hostmonster for all of those years. The reason? When I started out and I ran into some problems because I really had no idea what I was doing – I called. And I got through to a person immediately. Then things got even awesome-er.

I didn’t even know how to describe the issues I was running into because I knew very little of the lingo – so they talked me through it. And when I struggled to understand some of the instructions they did it for me. That amazed me.

And ever since, they’ve been nothing short of super great, flexible, and accommodating – and I’ve stuck with them since and signed up handfuls of other accounts with them for other people I’ve helped get online.

It’s an experience that connects you to a human, makes you feel cared for, helps you with a problem, and then leaves you feeling happier than if you never had the problem in the first place. And that’s a beautiful thing.

4/13/2015 – Waste Management.

Handling garbage is something very few of us think about – other than bringing your can out to the curb in time for pickup. But after your garbage and recyclables are picked up, an amazing logistical network springs to action to move it, sort it, process it, and store it – in all of its mixed up, nasty glory. It keeps the world clean and our lives simpler for a relatively small amount of money.

4/14/2015 – The smell of rain.

There’s something great about the smell of the rain. I think we as humans have grown to inherently love the smell of rain because it’s a signal of prosperity – of plants growing and providing nutrition for animals (which become food) and ourselves.

There’s something that feels hard-coded and automatic that the smell of rain brings and it feels simultaneously nostalgic, relaxing, and at peace with the world.

4/15/2015 – K’Nex / Legos.

Building toys have probably shaped me more than I’ll ever realize, having given me a wonderful medium to play, build, experiment, and be creative. I built the K’Nex rollercoaster, I built random machines that did trivial (or downright odd) tasks, and I just… built. These types of toys opened me up to the world of creativity and brining things to life which is all extremely fundamental to where I’ve ended up.

Your turn

I’m always looking for more inspiration, so tell me, what’s one thing you’re grateful for from the past week? I’ll share a few submissions during next week’s post and intend to keep that going all year long. While I love #ThrowbackThursday, I’d love to see #ThankfulThursday take off too.

The more we can say thanks, the better off we’ll be. Especially because we don’t know if we’ll be able to say “thanks” to those we care about tomorrow or to those who’ve touched us that we’ll never cross paths with again – why wait?