What if you woke up tomorrow with only those things for which you were consciously grateful today?
This question has given me considerable pause for thought. I can imagine waking up and finding I had nothing, not even my bed or the roof over my head — because I had been too busy to be mindful of all my blessings, or because I had been in a mind-space where I was thinking about what I didn’t have, or what I hoped to have, or what I used to have.
On the other hand, I can also imagine waking up to find that I have only a few things — and realizing that these are the most important things in my life, and that everything else is superfluous. That’s a powerful thought, to know how little I truly need for happiness. And, not so surprisingly, those few things probably wouldn’t comprise material possessions. Rather, they would be things like people I love, my cats, my health, sunshine, and laughter.
I’ve written previously on this blog about using Gratitude Lists as a wonderful Writing for Wellbeing activity. But now I think that starting the list with this question can give a whole new opportunity for awareness. Try it for a few days, and see whether your list changes. Perhaps some days you will be eager to write down everything you possibly can, because you wish to awake the next morning with all of that. Or it may be that on other days you will find that you focus on just a few things, and know that is enough. That all is right with the world when you understand what is really important to you. Give it a go! Write a Gratitude List beginning with the question:
What if I woke up tomorrow with only those things for which I am consciously grateful today?