Practicing Gratitude - Life Is Not As Bad As You Think

People are always talking about practicing gratitude but strangely enough, many struggle to see the things they can be grateful for in their lives. You do not need to have a life changing moment, be super rich or experience a death defying moment to start feeling grateful. Even if you have struggles in life, you can find little things to be grateful for.

Practicing gratitude widens your perception and helps you to have a greater appreciation of things around you and also gives you purpose in what you do - making you a much happier person.

So to help you along, below is a gratitude list to inspire you. They may not all be applicable to you, but it's a good start and maybe you can work towards some of the things on the list!

I also believe this is a growing list so feel free to propose any add-ons to be included below.

The Gratitude List:

1. Being thankful for being alive, so you may experience life and what it has to offer.

2. Having a place to go home to.

3. Being able to dress up and have a good time - party or a girls/guys night out!

4. Enjoying freedom - freedom to make choices for yourself.

5. Having family and friends to share your life with.

6. Simply being clean! To be able to take a shower to feel good about yourself and to protect yourself from illnesses.

7. Having a warm bed to sleep at night.

8. Having enough to eat to fill your tummy.

9. Music to entertain, comfort and motivate.

10. Being able to taste, feel, smell, see, hear.

11. Simply turning the tap to get fresh clean water.

12. Being able to simply enjoy an afternoon nap or sleep in on a lazy day.

13. Able to easily make contact with anyone anytime thanks to modern technology.

14. Being able to jump, bounce, hop, run, play!

15. Being able to pamper and indulge yourself once in awhile.

16. Having public or private transport, your bicycle, roller blades, skateboard - to take you whenever and wherever you need to go.

17. Being able to have time to pursue a hobby.

18. Having fresh clean air to breathe.

19. Access to treatment for just about any kind of small illness - fever, flu, cuts and bruises, sore throat, allergies, muscle pains and aches, tummy pains, indigestion, cramps, burns, rash, insect bites, warts, corns and the list goes on.

20. Being able to 'google' for answers almost instantaneously thanks to the Internet - the world is literally at your fingertips!

21. Having a wonderfully creative mind, which can help you to reach your full potential, to realize your dreams, to pull you through difficult situations, to come up with the most creative imaginations, solutions and ideas.

22. Having a cold can of coke on a super hot day.

23. Knowing how to read and write.

24. Being able to express your individuality through your looks and interests (music, poetry, baking, drawing...).

25. Having access to the modern conveniences with a click of a button/switch (just remember how you felt when you experienced a blackout).

26. Feeling safe and a sense of belonging where ever you are.

27. Being able to travel (be it big or small trips) to take a break from daily life's expectations and gain new experiences, see new cultures, meet new people.

28. Being different - in each of our own unique ways.We are all special!

29. Having limitless access to entertainment - if you have access to youtube, Netflix, video games, social media...

30. Having your own personal space to do what you want and love.

31. Having better and more options, possibilities and opportunities in life with advancement in technology/economic improvements.

32. Being able to enjoy the outdoors and feel the sunlight on your face.

33. Able to have many choices and variety in life (there's an A to Z directory of cereals available in the supermarkets!).

34. Simply having shoes to wear to protect your feet.

35. Books - to inspire, educate and bring us to the most vivid and exciting worlds.

36. Having the ability to laugh. Laughter is truly the best medicine.

37. Being able to have quiet moments to collect yourself after a busy chaotic day.

38. Experiencing random acts of kindness from a loved one or strangers (e.g. your spouse cooking your favorite food to cheer you up).

39. Being able to cry or whine freely about your problems to your friends and family.

40. Truly blessed to always having dedicated people in the society who are genuinely trying to make a difference and being a role model for us all.

41. Having past experiences (the good and the bad) - to help you learn more about yourself (your likes and dislikes), and to develop physically, mentally and spiritually.

42. Being acknowledged and appreciated for the things that you did/do (so likewise, remember to give thanks and show your appreciation to others too).

43. Having someone do simple daily tasks for you (like washing the dishes, doing your laundry, cooking for you).