"Have gratitude for the little things."

Before you try to take it one day at a time, take it one hour at a time, one minute at a time, and most importantly, one breath at a time. You may feel inclined to measure your life in calendar years, seasons, semesters, quarters...but if you can be in this moment, and realize that it is whole all on its own, you might begin to realize that every future moment will work out the same way. You will realize that you made it through a minute, an hour, a whole day, and it mattered and had value, even without knowing what tomorrow would bring.

So give yourself credit for what you made it through. And not just the years and the seasons, but the minutes, one at a time. Have gratitude for every breath. Have gratitude for every hour you lived through that you thought would take everything out of you. Unpack this very moment, this hour, and make note of your accomplishments. Did you feel a difficult emotion and work through it? Did you complete one task? Listen to a song? Send a message to someone?

Let yourself have gratitude for every little thing. The people you work with or live with may not see the value in the little things you do, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. Many times people can’t see the value in the little things you do because they don’t see it in themselves. But no matter how busy you are, how unaccomplished you feel, or how much you struggle to see what you're worth, you can still be the one who takes the time to express gratitude for the little things and see value in them.

And in addition to having gratitude for the little things you do, have gratitude for what others do as well. Acknowledge the value that others bring, especially when it comes to things that are often overlooked. Even the most confident people in our lives have areas where they are uncertain. No one is above the feeling of wondering if they are enough. We are all trying to take this day by day, one step at a time. No one is able to move any faster or slower. We are all needing to figure out how to make the most of what we’ve been given, without worrying so much about the past or the future. This is hard to do, but it’s not impossible, and we don’t do it alone. And this is why having gratitude for small progress can reconnect us what truly matters. It shows us that even though we spend so much time in this life trying to accomplish as much as we can and make the biggest impact possible, it’s in the smallest things that we can begin to make a difference. Not everything has to be a grand gesture. Not everything has to be measured in calendar years. One moment at a time, we can feel connected to this life, and we don’t have to wait for this season of life to end before we believe that every day was worth it.

More tomorrow...
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols