10 Simple Things You Can Be Grateful for Even When Times are Tough

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Some days are just great.

Things go as planned or even better and you bounce from meetings to tasks to your private life and you feel wonderful on the inside.

Then there are other days.

Days when you do not feel much motivated at all.

When your best laid plans go out the window before the day has barely begun.

When something important unexpectedly goes wrong and you get that sinking feeling in your stomach.

Or when you feel sorry for yourself and honestly just want to go back to bed and to sleep again.

Maybe the simplest and certainly one of the most effective ways to turn such a day, week or month around into something more positive and better is in my experience to turn your focus to gratitude.

Because even if things look tough today or for the next 3 or 6 months I can always find something or several things to feel very grateful for about my life.

So I’d like to share a small list of 10 simple, fundamental things that I feel grateful for.

I usually only reflect on one or a few of these things when I need to but I thought a list like this one could be helpful both for you and for me.

Maybe not every item on this list works in your life, then take what works from here and create and add to put together your own list.

 

1. A roof over my head and a warm home.

Overcome Negative Thoughts 4

I live in Sweden, a country where the winters are cold and snowy and the fall and often spring can be quite rainy.

So I often return to this one.

Few things feel better than to reflect upon having warm home and a roof over my head when it is cold and windy outside and I can hear the rain beating hard on my window.

2. Plenty of drinkable water.

I love water and drink plenty of it every day. It is certainly something I take for granted from time to time. But it is not a given.

780 million people lack access to safe drinking water according to water.org.

3. I don’t have to go hungry.

Plus, most of things I cook and/or eat are quite tasty and healthy. And sometimes they are simply wonderful.

So I have much to be grateful for when it comes to food.

4. I can enjoy the small and free pleasures of life.

10 Simple Things You Can Be Grateful for Even When Times are Tough

A sunrise.

A relaxing walk in the woods.

A cool swim in the ocean.

A crisp Autumn day when the trees are filled with leaves of vibrant and spectacular colors.

The sun warming my face after many days of the sky being filled with dreary, gray clouds.

5. Access to the internet.

When I was really young back in the 80’s and 90’s and you wanted to learn about something then you had to ask someone who may have had spotty knowledge.

Or you had to visit the local library and maybe there was a book or magazine about it.

Things are so different now and even though it is just a part of everyday life it still amazing.

I can learn about pretty much anything online. I can add new skills and habits to make my life happier and more awesome with the help of what other people share online.

And I can share what I’ve learned via this blog I once started on whim many years ago.

Plus, there is the opportunity to connect with and get to know people from all around the world.

6. My friends and family.

For the love, support, kindness and all the fun that they offer and I get to offer them.

7. My health.

10 Simple Things You Can Be Grateful for Even When Times are Tough

I do not have the indestructible body of Superman. But if I treat it well and get plenty of sleep, work out and eat healthy then it works really wonderfully well almost all the time.

Sure, I get sick sometimes.

But overall I have very, very much to be thankful for that I often take for granted about my body and how it helps me to do everything – see, listen, walk, write, hug, kiss, think and experience my world – every day.

8. The kindness of people I have never met before.

Every day I get kind and supportive emails and messages from people all around the world that I have never met but who reads my blog or newsletters.

Their expressions of gratitude make my life happier and help me to keep moving forward when things feel tough.

And I truly appreciate the simple kindness in the rest of my daily life too when people let me skip ahead of them in the checkout line in the store when I only have a few items.

When they stay for a few seconds and hold up the door for me too. Or let me into their lane when I drive.

9. The setbacks that have formed me and made me stronger.

When Life Suck 2

I have been really ill a few times in my life and these experiences has made me stronger mentally and given me the gift of being very appreciative of modern medicine and of my own body and taking good care of it.

Last year was in a way the toughest one yet for my business as the number of visitors to my website via Google went down in big, big leaps month after month.

That has changed in a very positive way over these last few months but 2013 really helped me to work harder and smarter than ever.

And it has made me more appreciative than ever of the opportunity I have with what I do here.

10. I am alive.

Get Over Rejection 4

I have like everyone else been in situations where an accident and being in the wrong place for just a few seconds could have meant I would not have been here anymore.

If I had been born in another time or in another place then there is a big chance that I would not have been here to experience my 33:rd birthday.

But I am here now. I have this moment and day and hopefully many days still to experience and live my life.

It is an amazing thing.

What do you feel grateful for even when you might be going through a tough day or time?

Free Exclusive Happiness Tips

Subscribe to The Positivity Newsletter and get weekly tips on happiness, self-esteem and plenty more.

You’ll also get three free guides on how to stop being lazy, what to do when life sucks and 21 things I wish they’d taught me in school.

100% privacy and no spam. You can unsubscribe anytime.

About the Author

Henrik Edberg is the creator of the Positivity Blog and has written weekly articles here since 2006. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Gothenburg and has been featured on Lifehacker, HuffPost and Paulo Coelho’s blog. Click here to learn more…

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Lynne

    March 6, 2014
    Henrik
    Great article thank you. I do have so much to be grateful for we do seem to forget just how important the basic things like love, food , shelter and health acccount for most of our happiness.

  • I am thankful for all of the reasons you outlined, and also for how far I’ve come from where I used to be. Thanks for a great post!

  • Lydia Ann

    Grateful: for the same ten examples you’ve posted Henrik, but also,
    Grateful: that the mere thought of my two precious (adult) children would pull me upward from my darkest moments.
    Grateful: that I had the strength to endure all those years in adversity.
    Grateful: that my life was spared in a moment of hesitation.
    Grateful: to have finally summoned the courage to reach out.
    Grateful: that I can forgive and not harbor resentment, I am free.
    Grateful: that through my experiences I have empathy for the plight of many other women in similar situations.
    Grateful: that I am helping these women, to also be free.
    Grateful: that my new partner is a true gentleman. Life is good :)
    Namaste!

  • Sydney

    Thank you Henrik for very encouraging article…Appreciating what one has
    instead of being worried of what you didn’t attain….

  • nirmal

    hi. yes one has to be grateful and be contended with what you have in your bag, in hand. try not to ask more and more which you wont be able to manage. on top of this always be grateful to him, the almighty who has provided all these to you.
    yes your tips are very simple and ordinary , also comfortable in adopting as always,, but these tips are very effective if one could apply in his life.
    Thanks Henrik,,
    NIRMAL

  • lynn

    Thank you Henrik – This came at just the right time!
    L.

  • Great article. I really liked your point about turning something negative into a more manageable experience through gratitude. Once we can do this, all things can be viewed as helpful or important to our overall progression.

    Thanks for sharing!

  • Lynne

    I totally agree. To get down to the basics has been very important in creating joy in my life. It doesn’t matter if I have $100 or $1 million. If I have a great cup of coffee waiting for me when I step out of a hot shower in the morning, it is going to be a great day! At the end of a bad day, my motto is, “the best thing about a bad day is that it’s over”. We start again with a fresh slate tomorrow.

    Love your blog!

  • Karen

    I am gratefully for my family, my children, husband, parents and sisters.

    I have been through really hard times in my life and I would never have made it through without their support and love.

  • Azar Aftimos

    I real encouraging article and helpful tips. Thank you very much for sharing and posting.

  • Really helpfull post, it’s actually something we should already know, something that should have been taught to us since we were kids, to be grateful for even the smallest things in our life, that way, we would life a happier life.

    Thank you for taking your time to make this list.

    xoxoxo

  • Nancy

    Thought I’d take a moment and let you know I am grateful to you and your blog for the wonderful insights you share. Thanks!