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 a lot 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 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 – 12/3 – 12/9/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

12/3/2015 – Clean drinking water.

This is quite possibly the greatest luxury I find myself taking for granted. I can’t be thankful enough to rarely experience thirst or waterborne illnesses.

12/4/2015 – Sobering wisdom.

There are many old adages, phrases, and quotes that are laden with a lifetime of meaning and understanding that stop me in my tracks. This brand of wisdom gives us a sobering dose of reality and helps align our viewpoint on our lives and the world around us.

12/5/2015 – Friends of friends.

There’s something uniquely special about “friends of friends.” You all have something in common linked by your mutual friend. Sometimes they are things in common with you and sometimes they are in common with your friend that you share with neither.

Either way, friends of friends are a great conduit to making new friends yourself and having a common ground of understanding to bond.

12/6/2015 – Mom & Pop businesses.

What I love most about mom and pop businesses are that they retain a level of charm and personality of the owners – they don’t feel like a mechanized machine intended to serve your needs as efficiently as possible. I recently ate at a small Italian restaurant in Seattle that blew me away.

Not because it was the nicest place I’d ever been to, not because the food was terribly high end (it was delicious), or that the music was great. I loved it because it had a charm and aura that exuded from the owners and their employees.

The atmosphere was a collection of the decor that had been assembled over the years, the pieces that were meticulously tended to, and the others that were left to their own quirky devices of time. I can’t really explain it, I could only feel it. That’s the magic of the Mom and Pop that I hope never goes away.

12/7/2015 – Podcasts.

I love podcasts because they allow me to learn and be productive when I otherwise couldn’t be. My long drives or getting snagged in traffic aren’t so bad when I can listen to a great podcast. Similarly, it’s great to have a good podcast in my ear when I’m working out, doing the laundry, on while I’m on the bus.

12/8/2015 – Abundance.

I’m thankful for there being an abundance in the world and how rapidly we are approaching universal abundance. We produce enough to feed, clothe, and entertain everyone on the planet. The global economy may not be equitable yet, but the ingredients for global, pervasive abundance are already here, just waiting for us to catch up and piece them together.

12/9/2015 – Skype.

This past week Skype has helped me keep in touch with my team at CPEsuite, allowed me to catch up with a good friend, and enabled me to have a business meeting from across the country. Great technology making the world a smaller, more intimate place.

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?