How To Be Thankful Where You Are

I don’t like to stand still. I’m a mover and a shaker.
I prefer my surroundings to always be changing.
And usually that’s okay.

But over the last year, I’ve been almost constantly restless for change.
I’ve been not quite happy with our jobs, our friendships, our house, our finances… you name it.

For awhile, I had this obsession with moving away.
There was something so magical about this idea of  starting over as a married couple, in a brand new place where no one knew us. So that became my dream, the ultimate goal.
But there was also a part of me that was running, instead of making the effort to dig in deeper right where I was.

It’s easy to constantly dwell on the things in life that we want to be different.
Even now, with most of the things I’ve always wished for, I often feel incomplete.
There are days when I go full force trying to be superwoman and change everything.
And then there are days where I’m exhausted, and I give up. Weeks pass without doing anything significant.

I’m all for working hard to make things happen.
Heck, I’m always on here telling y’all JUST DO THE THING YOU’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO…

The Benefits of Standing Still

But the older I get the more I’m realizing that it takes wisdom and discernment to know the difference between when to move and when to stand still.

God is showing me that life will bring enough motion. And maybe right now it’s time for me to take a break and be still.

Some of you today probably feel restless, like me.
Maybe you’re always yearning for the next thing.
You forget to celebrate your victories, the awesome moments of your life, big or small.

But once you have the next thing, will you be happy then?
Will that be enough?

Or will your focus already be elsewhere? The promotion, the big move, the baby, the car.. that will hopefully make you feel even better?

The Bigger Story

We can get very set in our minds about what we need, what is best for us, and what should happen next. And so in our bones it feels like those negative thoughts are the truth.
But we aren’t always right.

Every moment of our lives is part of a story bigger than ourselves.
So no, not everything is right. Yes, there’s still work to be done.
But we don’t need things to be different before we think we can learn to be thankful.

Stop. Breathe. Reflect.
Be thankful where you are.

There are a lot of places you could be that you should be glad you are not.
To someone else you are lucky. You are blessed.
Your reality is someone else’s dream.
Take the time to write down your blessings. Learn to practice gratitude.

Be thankful for where you are, on the way to where you’re going.
I’m learning right along with you.