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 – 9/17 – 9/23/2015

Today I’m thankful for…

9/17/2015 – First Responders.

After seeing a serious crash I couldn’t help but think of the many people who were there remarkably fast after it happened. Far too often these people are the first to come across a desperate, gruesome situation whose outcome is dependent upon them.

They do so with relatively little pay, recognition, or other “benefit” for the extraordinary work they do. They save lives and are crucial in keeping our chaotic world running as we know it.

And while it’s a week late, I can’t help but continue to reflect on those who charged into awful circumstances while knowing the dire nature of their situation on that fateful day on 9/11/2001. I leave this with one word: heroic.

9/18/2015 – Dishwashers.

Dishwashers are one of those modern conveniences tucked away under the counters of our lives. Not only do they save time, they probably save lives as well – yay for better sanitation.

9/19/2015 – Twitter.

I was really, really late to the Twittersphere. I joined at the beginning of this year as part of my transition into working on startups full time. It then took me a little while to “get it.”

This is a common problem Twitter is trying to solve, but there’s a reason that once people stick around long enough to understand its value, that they stay.

It’s an amazing way to spread ideas and give you a peek into the minds of thought leaders and people you admire. And have lightweight, authentic conversations with them that otherwise wouldn’t have happened. It’s a great, open, and sometimes overwhelming think tank of awesome.

9/20/2015 – A World of Possibility.

I’m not sure where this thought came to me, but I’m thankful that in our modern world the phrase “anything is possible” is essentially true. The global world provides us nearly unlimited potential scale to our lives – let me illustrate.

If you were the richest person on Earth 400 years ago, you couldn’t hope for much more than modest (by today’s standards) luxury. If you wanted to see another continent, the best you could do would be to commission a ship that might make the trip a few days shorter and travel with fewer people. It would still take weeks or months. It would still be incredibly dangerous. And certainly, not anything was possible.

Today, you can go to space (or start a space company), you can see every corner of the Earth in mere days, you can eradicate disease. There are very few limits to what a single human can achieve and experience in today’s world – and the barriers are shrinking for the rest of us every day.

Those nearly-infinite possibilities make any life an exciting one to live.

9/21/2015 – Cool Morning Walks.

Nothing adds a spark to my day like a brisk, Sunny morning walk to get the blood flowing and clear my conscience.

9/22/2015 – Science.

I’m thankful for the process known as “science.” Science is merely a disciplined approach to making sense of the enormous, unfathomable amount of information everywhere around us and that makes up our entire existence.

Science is like a flashlight you’re using to read a map of the Universe in the dark – and we learn progressively and illuminate the map of the universe one step at a time, bit by bit. It’s science that keeps us out of total darkness and gives us a sense of direction toward greater understanding.

9/23/2015 – Glass.

I can’t imagine a world with buildings that have no windows. I can’t imagine a world without many of the applications of glass. And a world without the beauty of glass artwork would also be missing out.

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?