What am I grateful for today?

Today I am so thankful for many things in my life. And as I have shared before, gratitude is directly linked to happiness. And who doesn't want to be happy? So I thought I would share some of the things that I am grateful for in my life currently.

I am grateful for a husband who works so I can stay home with the kids.

I am grateful for kids who are growing like weeds and developing strong, kind hearts and minds of their own.

I am grateful for technology that keeps me in touch with family that is far away.

I am grateful for coffee and healthy foods that nourish my body.

I am grateful for a quiet house where I can think and write.

I am grateful for exercise because it keeps my body healthy, my mind sharp, and my energy high.

I am grateful for nature and how I can look at it and notice the beauty of the world in which we live.

I am grateful for a nice home, a warm bed, clean water, and plenty of food. I know there are so many in the world who do not have these things.

I am grateful for holiday weekends where my family can relax and spend more time together.

I am grateful for surprise vacations that the kids STILL don't know about.

I am grateful for friends who will encourage and listen to you endlessly talk about... nothing :)

I am grateful for a car that takes us where we need to go and can haul loads of stuff or loads of friends.

But most of all, I am grateful that God has blessed me with all these things and more. For a life such as mine is not deserving but He loves me anyway. For that, I can never be grateful enough.

The Question You Should Ask Yourself

I'm always striving to be better. Do better. Live better. Be a better mom. Be a better runner. And on and on and on. So what list of top 10 strategies should I be doing? Well, it turns out that it could be simpler than that. What if you could change your life for the better by only asking yourself ONE question? (caveat: You will have to ask this question more than once.)

I've been reading this book recently: Getting Back to Happy. It's written by these wonderful bloggers, Marc and Angel. You can find them at http://www.marcandangel.com/.  I'm only a few pages in and the way that I think about this concept (be better) is changing. They advise a few small morning (before noon) changes to make in your routine, like: washing your breakfast dishes, exercise 15 minutes, and meditation. Then they ask a series of questions about what you currently do in your morning routine. And the first question is "Is this bringing me closer to or further from where I want to be?"

My question is even simpler. Is this good for me? What do I mean by "good"? I mean, is this action, thought, thing going to make me healthier, wiser, better, etc.? Is it pushing me toward my goals or keeping me from them? Is it inherently good for ME?

Now, the answers to this question may be different for everyone. And some of them may be the exact same. It's important to ask the question, listen to the answer, and then decide where to go from there.

Some examples could be:
Eating donuts for breakfast - Is this good for me?
Sleeping late - Is this good for me?
Watching TV - Is this good for me?
Scrolling Facebook - Is this good for me?
Spending time with friends - Is this good for me?

You can ask this question about virtually anything in your life. The point is to ask the question. Listen for the honest answer. And then decide what to do. Ask the right questions. Then act. The change comes in both the asking and then the doing. Both are important. Both are life changing.