Today, I choose to be grateful

I confess: I get mired in small things and lose sight of big ones.

It’s exhausting trying to stay elevated above the fray day in and day out when, in large part, you’re probably surrounded by fray-dwellers more or less constantly dragging you back in their direction.

When the things you have to do and the things you want to do are so often in contrast.

When you haven’t had a proper vacation.

When you need a nap because you never sleep well.

When distraction overpowers focus more and more frequently.

That feeling of disjointedness. That thought, “Why the fuck am I doing this again? Why can’t I be satisfied the way other people are satisfied?”

In those moments, if I’m lucky, I’m reminded of the noodle salad:

You know why.

Conformity sucks. It isn’t who you are.

You have stories: trials, struggles, wins and losses, humiliating moments that taught you to be humble, and empowering moments that proved your strength. I would rather be Jack Nicholson any day of the week than the guy who’s content with noodle salad.

So: I challenge you to take a moment today—when your thinking goes negative, in moments of frustration or impatience or weariness, when even considering how far you are from The Goal makes you want to curl up in the fetal position—and state out loud one thing for which you are grateful.

Every single time it happens. 

(You don’t have to take it too seriously. I laughed right out loud as I transformed, “FUCK, I just stubbed my toe, goddamnit,” into “Today [gritted teeth] I am grateful that I have toes.”)

Not only will you realize how often your thinking goes negative throughout the day, but you will begin to shift that thinking in a more productive, purposeful direction.

Most of all: You’ll be reminding yourself just exactly why you’re doing this.

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