If the only prayer you ever said was “Thank You,” that would be enough.

Most of us have incredible
family members, friends, and
other loved ones who love us
back. Learn to appreciate what
a miracle that is. Most of us
have good health, which is
another miracle. Most of us
have eyes, with which to enjoy
the amazing miracles of
sunsets and nature and beauty
all around us. Most of us have
ears, with which to enjoy music
– one of the greatest miracles
ever.
We may not have all these
things, because we can’t have
everything, but we certainly
have plenty to be thankful for.
To an extent, we know this
already, and yet we forget.
Sometimes Marc and I get so
caught up pursuing the next big
thing, that we forget to pause
and appreciate the things we
have, and the things we’ve
experienced, learned and
achieved along the way.
In other words, we forget to
give thanks continuously, for all
things. Since every step we
have taken has led us right to
where we are, and all things
have contributed to our
development, when we finally
do pause to give thanks, we try
to include ALL things in our
gratitude.
So that’s what I want to
reflect on today – some quick
reminders about the things you,
too, likely forget to say “thank
you” for:
1. “Thank you for life’s
surprises.” – Notice and
cherish life’s surprises.
Just because it’s not what
you were expecting,
doesn’t mean it’s not
everything you’ve been
waiting for. So take a
deep breath when you’re
rejected from something
good. It often means
you’re being redirected
to something better. Be
patient. Be positive.
Keep going.
2. “Thank you for the truth
I deal with every day.” –
Too many of us prefer
gentle lies to hard
truths. But make no
mistake, in the end it’s
better to be hurt by the
truth than comforted by
a lie. And beware of
half-truths too – you may
have gotten ahold of the
wrong half. Open your
eyes. You must see
things how they are
instead of how you hoped,
wished or expected them
to be. Sometimes it’s
hard to accept the truth
when the lies were
exactly what you wanted
to know, but be strong.
Life is too short to live a
lie.
3. “Thank you for the tough
times that taught me
important lessons.” – God
allows you to experience
the low points of life in
order to teach you lessons
that you could learn no
other way.
4. “Thank you for the
challenges I must
overcome today.” – The
brick walls in life are
there for a reason. They
are not there to keep you
out. They are there to
give you a chance to show
how badly you want
something. Because the
brick walls are there to
stop the people who don’t
want it as badly as you
do. They are there to
stop the other people.
There is absolutely
nothing about your
present circumstances
that prevents you from
making progress, one step
at a time. (Read The
Last Lecture.)
5. “Thank you for giving me
the courage to continue.”
– Courage isn’t having the
strength to go on; it’s
going on even when you
don’t have strength. And
remember, it does not
matter how slowly you go
as long as you do not stop.
6. “Thank you for giving me
the strength to smile.” –
Anyone can be happy
sometimes. It takes a
human being with real
heart to make beauty out
of the stuff that
naturally makes us weep.
7. “Thank you for the
beauty that remains.” –
Even when times are
really tough, don’t think
of all the misery, but of
the beauty that still
remains.
8. “Thank you for this new
beginning I’m living now.”
– The best way to prepare
for the future is to take
care of the present.
Goodbyes will always hurt
a little. Photographs can
never replace the act of
being there. Memories,
good and bad, will
sometimes bring tears.
And words can never
perfectly describe the
feelings they represent.
But that’s OK. Pain is
real. But so is hope. You
have to make peace with
your past in order to keep
your present and future
from becoming hopeless
battles.
9. “Thank you for all the
choices I have.” – A big
part of your life is a
result of the little
choices you make every
day. If you don’t like
some part of your life,
it’s time to start
tweaking things and
making better choices,
right now, right where you
are. (Marc and I discuss
this in more detail in the
“Goals and Success”
chapter of 1,000 Little
Things Happy, Successful
People Do Differently .)
10. “Thank you for the chance
to grow.” – You must be
willing to give up what you
are in order to become
what you will be.
11. “Thank you for my
bravery.” – Whenever
you’re scared but you
still do it anyway, that’s
brave.
12. “Thank you for my inner
greatness.” – Contrary to
what others may say, you
do not need to rise to the
top, or be the cream of
the crop, before you can
feel great about
yourself. For you are not
a failure because you’re
not perfect, got rejected
or laid off, struggle to
make ends meet, or have
a family with issues. You
are great because,
despite your
circumstances, you keep
loving, you keep getting
back up after every fall,
and, above all, the little
steps you keep taking,
you take with grace.
13. “Thank you for the
burning desires inside
me.” – The starting point
of all success is DESIRE.
Keep this in mind always.
Weak desire brings weak
results, just as a small
fire creates a small
amount of heat. Never
give up on something that
you can’t go a day without
thinking about. When you
truly believe in what
you’re doing, it shows, and
it pays. Success in life is
for those who are excited
about where they’re going.
14. “Thank you for my
intuition and instincts.” –
Take constructive
criticism seriously, but
not personally. Listen,
and then operate with
your own intuition and
wisdom as your guide.
15. “Thank you for my
imagination and
creativity.” – Imagination
and creativity are
everything. Together,
they draw the preview of
your life’s coming
attractions. And there
are people in nearly every
career field who make
each day a work of art
simply by the way they
have mastered their
craft. In other words,
almost everyone is an
artist in some way.

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