Sometimes it is hard to see the sun, because it seems as though life is full of cloudy skies. At times like these, it is especially important to count our blessings. Take a few minutes and get paper and pencil. Make a list of all the things for which you are thankful. It can be as simple as the person who smiled at you today as you made your way to work, the warm hug of your child as you dropped them off at school, the cheerful song of the birds outside your bedroom window, or the fellow driver who let you into the line of traffic. These little blessings are often overlooked.
Life is made up of so many small, everyday miracles. It is important to take note of them and appreciate the gifts we are presented with each day. If we are waiting for some monumental event to happen that we believe will change our lives dramatically, we are wasting the gift of this moment. It is easy to believe that if only this or that happened, then we would be truly happy. But the fact of the matter is that we must choose to happy right here, right now.
Maybe those things we are wishing and working for may transpire in our lives, but they will not bring happiness. Unless we have made the choice to be happy with our lives as they are, some hoped for event will not change our attitude. It may temporarily bring us a sense of euphoria, but then we will begin to wish for the next thing.
I am not saying we should cease to strive to improve ourselves. Of course, it is vitally important to work toward goals and do our best in all we do. But we must enjoy the journey. If and when we reach the pinnacle of achievement in our given field -- what then? If we do not have within us a sense of contentment and satisfaction with who we are, we will still feel empty and keep looking for some "thing" to fill us.
If we choose to greet each day, each moment, with the desire to improve our little corner of the world, we will have set for ourselves an achievable, admirable goal. We do not need to win the Nobel Prize or the Congressional Medal of Honor to make an impact on those we come in contact with each day. Something as simple as reaching out the hand of friendship to someone who is in need or helping our children with their homework has a positive impact on our world. Each time we choose to smile or hold the door open for the next fellow, we are improving our community.
Small gestures of kindness make an incredible impact on those we come in contact with each day. We may be unaware of this impact, but it is important and makes a difference in the lives of others. For example, in high school I always smiled and said hello to the girl who had my seat in the English class after mine. This took no extra time or effort on my part, but I found out at the end of the year that I had been making a difference. In my yearbook, this girl wrote that my smile and friendly hello always brightened her day and lifted her spirits. I was making an impact simply because I chose to interact in an affirming way with a fellow citizen in my little corner of the world.
All of us can impact our world for the better. The small gestures of kindness we offer to others throughout the day will be a blessing to others. Let us all choose to be kind, caring, and considerate to those we come in contact with each day. The ripples of goodness we start in motion will make a real difference in our world.
