Staying Grateful

In a world filled with various responsibilities one has to attend to, challenges, struggles, business, jobs, and other things that take most of our time, if one isn’t careful, you might lose sight of your person and the things that actually really matter.

So, how does one really stay grounded and in check, so as not to get too carried away with happenings around us, answering this question can really be a tough nut to crack for most people, seeing as some have already lost sight of themselves in the whole and do not even know where to begin.

For me, one of the things I do is to always be grateful for every little win. Due to all the hustle and bustle, if we are not careful, we gradually begin to lose sight of the little wins and joys that happen around or within. For instance, waking up to see a new day, is not something to take lightly, some persons slept with us but didn’t wake by morning.

Being grateful for each little win tends to pave the way for even greater things. Apart from the fact that it paves the way for greater, studies have shown that being grateful tends to improve our overall well-being. Some studies have shown that always showing gratitude relieves stress and anxiety and improves our mental health.

Most of the time the things we tend to worry about, if we just look past those things and see what other things, we are opportune to have, that might be someone else’s prayer point, we would surely be grateful and just trust that in time things will fall into place.

There was this time when I didn’t have a job, so I kept getting worried about it, I felt really terrible because that was not supposed to be part of the plan. The plan was to graduate and at least get something tangible to do as per a job, but it didn’t happen that way. So, one day while I went out, I saw people out on the street, who didn’t have a home to go to. They were beside a pedestrian bridge begging, and most of them slept out there at night, even when it was cold. When I got home, I began reminiscing about the people I saw and the way they were living, at least I hadn’t gotten to that stage, I had a roof over my head and I could at least eat twice a day on a not-so-good day.

From that day I made a resolve to always be grateful for even the littlest of things that happen or are happening with me. This practice has helped me appreciate life more, it has helped me live a life of contentment. Always living with the consciousness that if I don’t have it now, it doesn’t mean I won't have it forever, I just might have not gotten to the point where I can comfortably have that thing and not really worry about my bank account hehe.

I now celebrate my little wins, for instance I couldn’t really put my thoughts to writing so well, but upon getting here on Hive, I see myself writing more than I could imagine, I’m not there yet, pat I pat myself on the back every time I write something, because it’s an improvement.

For a very long time, I wasn’t very confident in my abilities, don’t get me wrong, I am smart, but I tend to get jittery whenever I’m put in the spotlight, or whenever I’m given an assignment, I begin to second guess myself, but recently I got a job that has really stretched me beyond what I could imagine, and these days, fist pump myself or give myself a high five for being able to deliver maximally under little or no supervision.

So, living a life of gratitude has been my coping mechanism, it's what has kept me grounded, amidst the hustle and bustle of life.
This is my response to the Thoughtful Daily prompt ‘What has helped you stay grounded’.
Thank you for stopping by 💕

_{All images are mine except otherwise stated}