No, seriously. Nothing is ever good enough for me, and I naturally tend to be a pessimist. I'm kind of ashamed of this, but it's been true my whole life.
Got a 3.9 GPA? Should've had a 4.0.
Did four rounds of exercises during my timed workout today? Nope, should've done five.
Basically, I expect perfection from myself and others, and I'm always pushing and searching for more, more, more.
So, my new favorite phrase for focusing on being thankful for what I do have is "well, at least."
Let me explain with an example:
My poor, good ole faithful car, Gertrude, hasn't had AC since last August (yeah...). I didn't fix it...and didn't fix it...and said I'd fix it, but it's just too expensive and inconvenient...and now I am regretting it. As I got in my sweltering car after Vacation Bible School today, sweat immediately started beading on my arms, like dew on the morning grass, and I could literally feel my makeup sliding down my face.
I slammed the steering wheel and exclaimed, "GRRR! Why can't I be rich enough to afford AC?!"
Immediately, I felt guilty. So, I took a deep breath and decided to look for the positives. "Well, at least I have a car.
At least my car can fit four other people in it and is safe.
At least my car gets great gas mileage.
At least my car has a CD player.
At least the heat works in the winter.
At least I'm not walking or taking the bus everywhere around the city!"
And I found myself smiling as I thought of silly things:
At least my car is Japanese, because I am too.
At least my car has a sweet name.
At least my car isn't a stick shift!
And I actually laughed...my anger dissipated when I shifted my attitude from one of frustration to thankfulness.
When you put it that way, we have so much to be thankful for. All of our "at least" lists will be different, of course. And this is just one small tool to use when cultivating an attitude of gratitude. At least I'm able to share it with you :)
What other tools do you use to focus on the positives in your life?
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