A few months back I sent a text to a friend and asked how they were doing? Their response was nothing out of the ordinary. But this friend did happen to say one thing that stuck out after that.

“I’m just trying to be positive and grateful”

Life may not have been any which way for my friend. Just more routine. More of the same. But they were still learning to remain positive about where they were and grateful for all they had. Thinking about that and it is a really simple and effective method to apply to our lives.

Being positive isn’t always the easiest of things to do. I find quite often we are selective as to when we choose to be positive. If nothing is out of the ordinary we tend to let routine just grind us away. It’s neither positive or negative. It’s just life!! It seems it’s a lot easier to be negative. If things don’t go to plan we can be negative. If things don’t look the way we expect or want….we be negative. When Uber eats is 5 mins late…..We. Be. Negative!


But where does that negativity get us? Does it make the negative a positive? Of course not! In fact it doesn’t do anything but make it worse. It’s wasted energy! It’s exhaustive! However it’s all in our mindset.

Positivity is a mindset, not an outcome. That doesn’t mean we turn blindly to our circumstances and pretend that something negative didn’t happen. It just means we choose to be bigger than that moment and not let it weigh us down. We can overcome it.

Grateful is one of my favourite words. I am grateful about a lot of things in my life. I learned this all from a young age. Life is not to be taken for granted. Life is to be appreciated. You’re meant to stop and enjoy it.

What you have in life, be grateful for it all because your circumstances could always be different. A lot of people who face adversity seem to end up finding their own unique perspective on life. Experience refocuses the lens that they look through. I learned through early challenges in life that the simple things in life matter more and appreciating those things, being grateful for what I do have will be a key to genuine happiness.

Appreciating the little things in life may seem insignificant to some. But it’s funny how many of those simple things bring you joy. Simple things like sunsets and sunrises captivate our attention. We marvel at their beauty! And what of laughter. Laughter fills us with an energy and joy that makes us feel alive in those moments.

It’s easy to focus on the things in life we chase and desire. Chasing them like the end of a rainbow. But just maybe it’s also worth realising you already have so much to be grateful for. Maybe it’s friends and family you are grateful for? Or perhaps it’s a job that you love? Or perhaps it’s as simple as being grateful for another day and another opportunity to get where you want to be?

Find comfort in the things you are grateful for in your life. And in case you hadn’t connected it yet. Being grateful is such a positive thought to practice.

“I’m just trying to be positive and grateful”

It’s a wonderful place to start a new year!