At the end of every year, I take time to look back and evaluate the year that has passed. I take a few hours to track my progress, evaluate my achievements, and take note of what had happened.

It is at times like these that I often feel the urge towards negativity. I tend to see the glass half empty rather than half full. I lean towards the hardships of the year, rather than focusing on all the accomplishments and incredible times of happiness I had.

It is often so easy to be hard on yourself. And with good reason…

We start out the year with many ambitions and New-year’s resolutions. We plan our year ahead and write down what we want to accomplish.

And often things start to stray from our plans even in the first month of the year. Difficulties and hardships stand in the way of us reaching our resolutions, and we have to fight them in order to achieve the success we aimed for.

So the feeling of accomplishment can easily get drowned out with all the hardships going on. We lose touch with our resolutions, and at the end of the year, all we remember is our failures.

So instead of measuring myself, I decided to do the following. Even though it is often very difficult for me to celebrate my successes and wins, I have decided to make a list of everything that I am truly grateful for.

I know Thanksgiving is over, but being grateful is important every day. If we make time to ponder on the blessings we have in our lives, it becomes much easier to notice that our year turned out much more rose-colored than we initially thought.

So here is my list:

1. I am grateful for my children, who evolve every single day and come up with the most amazing questions.
2. I am grateful for my husband, who provides for the family, who supports me in everything I do, and who loves me unconditionally.
3. I am grateful for the job I have.
4. I am grateful for adventures and challenges handed to me at my job – it keeps things interesting.
5. I am grateful for the ability to pursue my passion in writing and music.
6. I am grateful for all the amazing people I run into throughout life, who help me to reach my dreams.
7. I am grateful for those people who inspire me, or those who simply send a smile my way.
8. I am grateful for a roof over my head and food on the table.
9. I am grateful for my health.
10. And on, and on, and on…

Thank you!

I can go on and on, but I think you get my message. When we list the things that we are truly thankful for, it is much easier to see the glass as always full – even though with air!