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 – 12/10 – 12/16/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

12/10/2015 – Spray Nozzles.

I suspect spray nozzles are one of those inventions you use almost daily and yet gives us little reason to recognize it. Hair spray, cologne, cleaning products, internal combustion engines, and so much more use spray nozzles. They’re rather simple in design and theory, but the benefits from being able to spray – and atomize – liquid is extremely beneficial for us in may different ways.

12/11/2015 – Needles.

Like the spray nozzle, needles are at work in huge ways in our day-to-day lives. From health and wellness to basketballs to textiles, needles are deceptively amazing tools on a very fine scale.

12/12/2015 – When the Pieces Fall Into Place All at Once.

There’s the popular phrase, “When it rains, it pours.” This is almost always seen in a negative way and I do my best to recognize that rain can also be a blessing. I often find that for things you work for over a long period of time, you’ll have massive doubts about whether anything is “working.” Even harder, sometimes knowing what “working” looks like is also vague and can take many different forms.

However, I tend to find it not only rains, but pours, when the hard work all seems to pay off all at once. The pieces all seem to fall into place at once as a result of your work to bring it all together. Another quote I’m reminded of is, “It only took me 17 years to become an overnight success.” Sometimes it rains and pours in showers of success. Bathe yourself in it, you’ve made it happen.

12/13/2015 – Digital Calendars.

I have a love-hate relationship with my schedule as I wonder if I’m driving it or if it’s driving me. What I’m certain about is that it helps me keep tabs on my life and live and work more efficiently. The digital calendar is as flexible as my dynamic life requires and my life would be alot harder to keep track of without it.

12/14/2015 – Fragrances.

Our sense of smell is one of our strongest senses. Our sense of smell alerts us of dangerous bacteria, aids substantially in our sense of taste (which is another alert system for bad things to eat), and is the sense most strongly tied to our memory. Think about the times that you recognized a smell but couldn’t exactly place where it came from and, puzzlingly, you had an associated emotion with that smell.

With that long-winded preamble, fragrances add a powerful boost of spice to our lives. Colognes, perfume, air fresheners, deodorant sprays, or incense are all really great addition to our lives.

12/15/2015 – Random Acts of Kindness.

Random acts of kindness are a wonderful combination of surprise plus a reminder of the kindness in humanity, the latter we need much more of in the World. On the other hand, being able to give others the joy of a random act of kindness is a special type of happiness that I plan to continue to do more of in the future.

12/16/2015 – Anti-lock Brakes.

I’m back in “The Motherland” of Minnesota and I’m thankful for an innovation that’s completely behind-the-scenes until the moment we need it – anti-lock brake systems (ABS). You may recall from physics that static friction is much higher than kinetic friction, and that’s exactly what ABS exploits. It allows the wheels to turn and “re-grip” many times a second as opposed to letting your tires slide continuously.

The result? Amazingly reduced stopping distances in slippery conditions and many accidents, lives, damage, and money saved.

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?