It’s not a bad thing to want more, be more, or do more. In fact this is the very nature of life, to grow and evolve. The problem comes when we only focus on the want, that’s when we forget about what we already have. Then we end up living in what’s missing, what we lack, what we wish we had, and this keeps us stuck in a world of half-empty. Here we’re disgruntled and dissatisfied, restless and endlessly searching outside of ourselves for what it is we think we want. In this mindset we ignore what we already have and forget to be grateful and thankful for what’s already in our lives.

Go ahead and make a list. Instead of pro/con do a want/have and begin listing all the things you want. The things you think would make everything better, change your life, or make you happier. Now take a look at how much is material and how much is soul. If you find yourself swamped in wanting more things for the sake of having rather than needing or joyfully desiring, it’s a good indicator lack is winning out over gratitude. Now write down everything you already possess, great job, beautiful home, loving spouse, children, health, etc. Don’t stop the first time you run out of ideas about what is already yours, keep thinking and then write some more. Often the most meaningful and important things in our lives are buried under a pile of what’s taken for granted.

Now give it a second look, what’s come up for you and why does it matter. Then it’s simple, what you put your attention on grows. If you find yourself constantly thinking about all you don’t have or wish you had, you’ll find it difficult to be satisfied with what you do have. When we start to honor what is already in our lives with sincere gratitude and thanks our future desires and destinies will be built on this firm foundation. This does not mean we stop dreaming and growing, we just reframe the context of these dreams from a point of view of being grateful for what’s already ours before we move on to what’s next. Coming from this feeling of wholeness and gratitude automatically shifts everything else.

The deep-down truth is that we have more than we realize. I’ve found myself wishing for something only to discover days or weeks later I had it the whole time. What can trip us up is that what we want may not look like what we thought it should or would. This is actually an elusive truth that’s hard to reconcile. This subtle disconnection between what we’re envisioning and what’s already in our lives don’t always look like each other. Then we waste all this time and energy searching for what’s already ours when all that’s really needed is a closer look.

Being aware and giving thanks for all we have, the tangible and the intangible, helps us root into the reality of what’s really going on in our lives and just how rich they already are. It is a far cry from keeping up with the Jones’ or struggling and lamenting over what we don’t have. It is a call to look inward with more care and see what it is we’re really after and then recognize if it’s already in our lives. The truth is the more we are thankful the more we draw what we want to us. So take this advice that was lovingly given to me; love completely what is already yours. Live from fullness and joy rather than lack and fear. This will make what you do have more meaningful and what you don’t have a joyful adventure to obtain rather than an irritation, a race against others, or a resentment.

In Hinduism there is a ceremony called puja. It is a sacred offering, usually from student to teacher. But I think this is really onto something incredibly important that almost all of us have forgotten, giving our grateful gift of thanks. Consciously taking some time to offer our gratitude and thanks from the depths of our being, for all the amazing people and things that are in our lives, aligns us with all the good that exists yet remains invisible until we start making a habit of noticing it.

We would do well to create our own gratitude ceremony for who and what we love, what makes us whole, and that which brings us profound joy. Whether it’s a few minutes in the dark of morning before the hectic day begins or some time at night while winding down doesn’t matter. Taking some time every day to step outside our normal routines and be grateful will slowly reshape the way we live our lives, and this will change everything.

So give your thanks every day. Write it down. Remind yourself. Celebrate it. The more grateful you are the more your life expands in unexpected and miraculous ways.

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