5 Things You Are Grateful For

Last year I was going through a rough patch that felt like it lasted forever. With each day it felt like I was going deeper and deeper in to a dark space that had no light at the end of the tunnel. Being known as Mr Positive made it difficult to express myself to others, plus there was also the feeling that no one would understand. If you’ve heard my track Off My Mind a lot of the emotions were poured into it.

There is a saying that what you focus on expands and this was definitely the case for me. It was hard to see anything else. There were difficulties in so many areas that it felt like there was no rest.

During this period I met with one of my mentors. We talked about a variety of things and one thing he asked me was “what are the 5 things you are most grateful for?”. This was a key moment for me. I was so focused on all the dark things happening in my life that I couldn’t see the blessings. I tried but I didn’t think about the things that I was most grateful for.

The first point I brought up was gratitude for my parents. Instantly they made me aware that their parents are no longer alive. Although I nearly lost my dad a couple years he is still here and I am truly grateful for that. Sometimes it takes a realisation of what you have and the impact of not having that to make you appreciate the blessings in your life.

After running through a couple of other things my mentor then advised that I write down 5 things that I am most grateful for and read them everyday.

It took a while for me to get out of the funk, but the more I changed my focus the more my perspective began to change. It slowly gave me the ammo to take on the situations that I was going through.

The key to this is not just remembering the things you are grateful for only when you are down and out. It’s a continuous habit that ultimately helps to give strength when the challenges come along.

No matter who it is we all go through challenges. It’s something that we sometimes try to hide from to show a perfect exterior to the world. I’m learning more and more the strength in embracing your vulnerability.

What I want anyone reading this to take away is the power in noting down and reminding yourself of the things you have to be most grateful for. Although at times it feels like there is nothing if you really take the time you’ll realise that there are so many.