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 – 4/16 – 4/22/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

4/16/2015 – My bullies.

First, let me say that in no way, shape, or form do I think bullying should be tolerated. Now that I’ve got my disclaimer out of the way, let me explain.

I spend a lot of time working on my own self-awareness and over the years have thought a lot about the question “what has made me who I am today?” I’ve found that many of my traits have been in some way shaped by the bullies I’ve encountered during my time on planet Earth.

I’ll probably go into more detail about the specific detail about those traits in a future post, but what I want to say is, “thanks.” I hold no grudge and those experiences, while not pleasant, didn’t kill me and ultimately made me stronger.

4/17/2015 – Teams.

Today I’ll embark on my 2nd Startup Weekend in as many months. It’s an awesome experience of time-crunched collaboration with other smart, motivated people in ad-hoc teams. Teams in any form create a really awesome bond between people working together for a purpose, leveraging complementary skills to do something awesome.

4/18/2015 – Braces.

Our teeth are super important, and in terms of their development, they are unpredictable. I’m thankful that braces have ensured I have a nice, straight smile and that my slight underbite is a thing of the past.

4/19/2015 – Fluoride.

Even more important than straight teeth are healthy, clean teeth. Fluoride is present in treated water and in some mouthwashes or even table salt and is a fundamental chemical to prevent tooth decay, helping keep billions of smiles bright and healthy.

4/20/2015 – Cloud storage.

Dropbox is awesome. The files I need are wherever I need them (no more emailing to myself or forgetting my flash drive). They’re also super safe so I don’t have to worry about losing them. On top of that, sharing files and collaborating with people is easier than ever. A lot of complex technology went into making such a simple, useful service, and I’m thankful to the people who made it happen.

4/21/2015 – Encouragement.

My year so far has been defined by a new undertaking which has been extremely exciting and a lot of fun, but it hasn’t been without an extreme amount of uncertainty. I now fully understand why many entrepreneurs describe a unique type of loneliness associated with the startup journey.

The reason it feels so lonesome at times is that there are a million different directions you could go and a barrage of uncertainties and an unrelenting ambiguity. Ultimately you have a thousand things to consider, and you can talk about how to address them, but ultimately it’s you – and only you – who can make a decision on what to do, and it’s likely that few will really understand your choice.

And the most amazing thing in those uncertain times of self-doubt, second guessing, and loneliness is encouragement. I’m so thankful for those who find a way to be encouraging and provide me with evidence that I’m headed in the right direction, no matter where that might be.

4/22/2015 – Mother Earth.

Today is Earth day, so I’ve got to take a moment to thank our Blue Marble in the vast expanse of space, revolving around a star somewhere in the depths of the vast Milky Way. The Earth is dynamic, self-balancing, diverse, and amazingly beautiful. And amidst all of the splendor, it is nothing less than home.

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?