It’s becoming a weird world out there. Have you noticed on the news how many devastating occurrences there are lately? It is so easy to be grumpy about the mundane every day occurrences in life; however, it is just as easy to be aware of the positives life has to offer.

Why is it then that many of us expend so much energy on what is wrong as compared to what is going well in our world? It is one thing to recognize the positive, but yet an entirely different thing to be grateful for them. The two main components of being a happier and more fulfilled person are awareness and gratitude for what you do recognize.

Awareness

There are so many positive things every day to recognize, it is impossible not find one in your life too. Just the simple fact that your vision is well and you are able to read this blog post is proof that there is always something positive. Waking up every day with a new chance is another simple example.

Little things come and go fleetingly. Have you ever noticed a butterfly quickly float by or a bird land on a branch in front of your window for a brief moment? These are the little things that mean so much. That bird and that butterfly as well as the bee are all contributing to a better life for all of us. They are positive elements in our busy world. While we are doing our thing, working, career, education, family, they are busy doing their thing, as well.

It is so easy to look at the flat tire or the traffic jam and not recognize that you are right where you are supposed to be in that moment. There may be an accident up ahead that you would have been part of if you were exactly on time.

Keep It Simple

Remembering to be grateful in an ungrateful world isn’t always easy. Fortunately there are some simple tools to help you be mindful. For example, there are a bunch of great apps out there – free ones to boot – that will help you practice gratitude on a daily basis in minutes a day.

The one I used is simple called: My Gratitude Journal by The Happy Tapper.

It’s available for IOS Devices here: Get My Gratitude Journal for IOS

While this particular app is only available for IOS — there are others for Android you can do a simple search to find. In 5 minutes a day you can radically shift your feelings of abundance.

Gratitude

Once you begin to train your brain to be aware of all that you have and how blessed you are. When you focus on things you are grateful for, you will begin to see more things for which to be grateful appear in your life. If someone told you to be grateful and more will be bestowed upon you, wouldn’t you at least give it a try for a couple of months?

Gratitude is a powerful tool of the mind. The more you are grateful and appreciative, the more you will have for which to be grateful.