4 Things To Always Be Grateful For

I make it a habit to pray every night, to think of every single good thing that happened in my day, regardless how small it seems to be. But just recently, after I managed to survive one of the craziest emotional roller-coaster rides of my life, I realized that I should also learn to appreciate the unpleasant things that are happening in my life because they are just as much a part of who I am.

Inspired by the bad and the ugly things around me, I came up with a list of the things that I think we all should be thankful for in our imperfect lives.

4 Things To Always Be Grateful For

1. Messy Relationships, Bad Hookups & Toxic Love Affairs

Let me tell you something about love. It could be the most wonderful thing in the world, but it could also be as lethal as a scorpion sting. It doesn’t choose whose heart to break. Even if you’re the richest person in the world, the most beautiful woman in the universe, or the best at everything, you are not exempted from the pain it brings. Nobody has the privilege of not experiencing heartbreak because it is life, it is reality, and it comes with a purpose.

It’s not that bad really. In fact, getting your heart broken could be the best thing that ever happened to you because your messy relationships, bad romances and toxic love affairs give you a unique opportunity to figure out who you really are and realize how strong you can become when you experience pain and hardship.

In the piece “30 Lessons About Relationships I Learned By the Time I Turned 30,” writer Zara Barrie emphasizes that heartbreaks don’t happen for no reason, because each bad relationship brings you closer to finding the kind of healthy and wonderful love that you deserve – the kind that inspires you and makes you a better version of yourself.

So, be thankful for a broken heart because it allows you to grow, to push past your comfort zone, to embrace change, to take care of yourself, to understand your worth and to discover the great lengths you would go through in the name of love .

2. Your Imperfections & Insecurities

Life can be really confusing and challenging because of its imperfections, but no matter how messy things could get because of your flaws, inadequacies and weaknesses, you still have hundred reasons to be grateful about it.

Your imperfections keep you going. They are one of your life’s biggest driving forces behind striving towards becoming better, to explore your options, to have the courage to create positive change, to keep you grounded and most importantly, to appreciate everything that you have.

So, learn to accept your imperfections. And instead of getting jealous of other people’s successes and happiness, convince yourself that you are a bigger person who is capable of shifting your insecurities, jealousy, and envy into something productive.

Writer Kat Boogaard recommends leveraging your competition effectively by keeping your emotions in check, taking advantage of a valuable opportunity to learn from others, and by focusing on yourself rather than letting it get the best out of you.

3. Feeling Tired & Exhausted After a Day of Hard Work

Another important thing that you should never forget to appreciate is the feeling you get after a day of hard work. It doesn’t matter how exhausted you are because at the end of the day, what matters most is that you know that you have accomplished something and that you have managed to push yourself to the limits.

A line in one of my favorite poem goes, “Be thankful when you’re tired and weary because it means you’ve made a difference.” It also means that you’ve given your all. So, instead of complaining about how exhausted you are, celebrate your accomplishment, your victories and your wins.

4. Difficult & Negative People

This last item on the list may sound weird to you but yes, you should save some gratitude for the difficult and negative people who bring you down. Regardless of their rudeness and how pathetic they themselves are, they still play an important role in teaching you some important things about life that you won’t be able to learn from your other experiences.

Believe it or not, jerks, bullies and haters make you realize how victorious you are or how far you have come in your life. They are trying to put you down because you are above them. They insult and attack you because they know that you are stronger and better than them. They are either envious of you or just scared of your guts.

Instead of wasting your time getting angry when you encounter these types of people, be grateful. Don’t let them get on your nerves. Be the bigger and the kinder person who chooses to move towards positive actions and interactions.