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 – 11/5 – 11/11/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

11/5/2015 – Infographics.

Humans are visual creatures and words are still a relatively new invention in the grand scale of human existence. As a result, we tend to process information much more effectively in visual form (a picture is worth a thousand words). Infographics are works of art that deliver enormous amounts of information that can be quickly interpreted and understood.

11/6/2015 – Calming reminders that life can be simple.

Every so often I’m struck with a moment that makes life, existence, and my outlook feel just simple. It’s just people, our relationships, and doing something that helps make others’ lives better. It’s smiling when a stranger holds the door, stopping to smell the roses, calling a friend you haven’t spoken to for weeks.

In the end life and death is extremely simple – just seconds of our lives ticking by doing whatever it is we choose to do. I thought Oprah really brought it home with this story:

I did an interview in the late ’80s with a mother who had watched her son die. She crawled into bed with him as he was dying. And his last words were, “Oh, it was all so simple.” And then he smiled. When she said that, I got chills. We’re going to take our last breath and say, “Why were we struggling all that time? Why were we swimming upstream? Where all we had to do was just look at each other and accept each other for who each of us represents on the planet.” I thought back to that quote. Ah, it was so simple. I didn’t have to fight that hard. It didn’t have to be that hard. That show, along with many others, had a powerful and calming impact on me in terms of the way I led my own life.

11/7/2015 – Movie Marathons.

I’ve recently realized that one of the primary reasons I love watching movies is that they are an effective escape. I have a busy, curious mind and I am running a startup, to boot. This means my mind is rarely still and focus can be difficult.

Movies are engaging and I get “lost” in the story and much of my mind gets a much-needed break. With a number of new sequels coming up this Holiday season, I look forward to marathoning all of the movies that preceded them and getting lost in the adventure.

11/8/2015 – Surprises.

Variety is the spice of life and surprises of all kinds are the most exciting kind of variety.

11/9/2015 – Espresso.

Aromatic, warm, and laden with caffeine, espresso helps make the world go ’round.

11/10/2015 – Social Missions.

I recently watched the pitches of a number of social entrepreneurs from Bangladesh and Indonesia at the Jolkana showcase in Seattle. The ideas ranged from setting up local farmer’s markets to enable the local trade of affordable food to remote solar-powered irrigation installations. What they all had in common is that they were inspiring and are evidence that there are countless people out there dedicating their lives to making the World better.

11/11/2015 – Meditation.

Meditation is continually gaining in popularity, and for good reason. Practicing meditation is important for quieting my busy mind, making sense of the enormous amounts of information in front of me, and finding those moments of clarity that help in innumerable ways.

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?