All through 2016 I have been moaning n groaning about how terrible this year is being to me. I ranted at the divine and blamed the universe for pushing me so hard. When the turmoil settled in deep, I got used to it and started going along with it in a zombie like trance.
Eventually…………………… I snapped!
That’s when two things hit me:
1) I neglected to pay any heed to myself during the upheaval,
2) I blamed myself over n over for not taking better care.
Common sense stopped by long enough to make me pause and step back from the chaos to relook at all the wonderful things that ARE there in my life rather than crying over stuff that ARE NOT there.
So it’s no wonder that GRATITUDE is my chosen #WOTY 2017.
Let me share a few of the things I have taken up to follow this:
♥ Diary of Gratitide
I have stated keeping a gratitude journal in 2016 to note down the wonderful things that happen to me during the day/week. ( I don’t stress if I am not able to find time to write daily). I shall endeavour to take this practice into 2017 and also start to write a monthly post on gratitude ( fantastic blogging goal too)
♥ My Inner Circle
I have realised I have some amazing friends n relatives who care deeply for me and would give anything to spend time with me. Silly me has been ruing over lost relationships with people who don’t want to be with me. No more of that! Especially implementing this rule strictly to social media friendships (Take that FB)
♥ When one door closes, another opens
I will not let petty people who play mindgames to bully others into submission, to subdue my mad evil creative genius and put me down at the same time.( OK, admittedly I am an OTT control freak disguised as Enthusiasm) I will make better productive use of my time and talent with people who appreciate it. No matter how much it hurts ( pride n heart), I am thankful to know others who came forward to support and admire me.
Look out for some exciting news soonest!!!!!!
♥ When I have time, I will
I have made peace with my jobless state and have decided to enjoy the free time taking long holidays and doing things that I always thought I will do when I have some time. Killing a lot of birds with the same stoneas I have made travel plans to visit my friends n family this year- will get to spend time with peeps who love me + have a holiday + shoestring budget doesn’t get overstretched. ( Say I am a genius, won’t you please )
Plus side of feeling gratitude is every little thing that would usually bug me, is now a joy or at least I now pause to reflect on it before reacting. Haven’t got this down pat but have certainly begun the journey. So my hot-headedness is in the process of being tempered into good naturedness – howzz that!!!
This post is inspired by Lauren Regan’s prompt and is linked here
This post is linked to BlogChatter prompt here
This post is linked to Corinne Rodriguez’s prompt here
Facebook Comments
Maybe 2017 will be a better year if we all understand that gratitude is really important, in whichever small way. I guess we tend to forget it, specially when things don’t go our way.
Wishing you a happy new year Shalini!
Thanks so much Mithila and how right you are in that!!
Wish you a dreamy n happy 2017!!!
If you really believe in it and make it a way of your life , I think your word for next year is the most optimistic , positive and happy outlook to life. Ive always felt that I am very thankless as a person .. but as I read you list I realize everything we need is generally around us. in abundance. we have to make that move .. take that leap. happy for you that you are able to really see the value in everything positive around you and are all geared to make 2017 a transformational one..
Wish you the very best Shalini! Be a super star!
Wow Chandni – thats so awesome to hear from you. I have loved it everytime you have visted my blog and heaped so much wisdom and encouragement on it. And yes Gratitude is really been my superpower this year – I had a nasty day yesterday over an ugly incident which left me very broken hearted; but it also led me to knowing how much love, support and admiration I have from others in standing my ground and speaking my mind. Plus my ideas are loved and wanted, despite what I was led to believe. I got 2 offers for a SM collab post it which has led me to dance the happy dance all around the moon and back!! Thank you so much for your wishes – I know and believe it from the bottom of my heart that you are one of my well wishers! Wish you a blissful n blessful 2017!!
Gratitude is one of the best practices around – something I don’t practice enough. I have so much to be grateful for. And, letting go of those who no longer belong in your life – it’s hard, but it is part of life. Reading this makes me realize that I have also let relationships go stale, and they can no longer be ignored. May you reach your goals for 2017.
Thanks so much Alana – yes its one of the best things to practice in my opinion too but it gets very difficult to do so at times.
This is going to be a hard coming year in the United States. We must be grateful for each of our freedoms – without gratitude we could so easily lose the joy in life we all experience, which so many people in the world lack. Happy New Year to you.
Wish you a very Happy and abundant 2017 Alana – chin up and stay strong girl. One never knows what the universe is sending over to us!! Maybe this is a blessing in devil’s disguise 😉
Lovely lovely post.Glad you wrote this one..I was missing the daily gyan for wellness on my reading list.Gratitude and thankfulBessie a favourite word (I host #Thankful Thursdays blog hop remember ).
When rings dint go my at I sincerely believe it’s because God has something super awesome planned.
Don’t stop bring super creative.In the crowded online world individualit stands out.
It’s the reason people try to break confidence.
Believe in yourself and don’t be hard on yourself for the past.The world is your oyster. You just need to believe and have faith.
Faith, belief and perseverance are the pillars on life stands .Don’t let any of these go.A very Happy New year to you.Kindly excuse the gyan. I get carried away when it’s about bring thankful
You have no idea how much these words mean to me!! I cant believe someone loved my mindfulness posts so so much! Thank you Thank you Amrita!!! I shall continue with them soonest!!’
I will b e posting on the thursday prompts to start the mindfulness – see a change in my blog by evening today – dedicated to you!!
I love every piece of advise you have written out here- my gratitude to the universe for connecting me with someone as caring and loyal as you! What awesome buddies I have found via @blogchatter – thank you thank you!!
Wish you a very happy new year too darling!! Loads of love and care – Muaah!!! xoxoxo
Excellent word and outlook for 2017! I have been thinking of bringing back my own gratitude blog posts and linkup this year – not weekly as I did before, but once a month. Thank you for the reminder!
Thanks so much Laurel. Bless Chandni n Corinne for a connect to your prompt for me.
I look forward to your linkups to this prompt – its going to be my favourte topic the entire year!! Cheers
I have always felt that I thank less. At times I make efforts and thank be grateful. It’s difficult. Very difficult. But I have come to realize that everything we seek is there right in front of us and all we need to do is be open and embrace it.
I hope to see you soon too. 😉
Happy New Year! ❤
A very happy new year Ramya – thank you for stopping by. I am looking forward to meeting you soonest too!!
Its so true , we get everything we want from the universe, if only we would stop wanting more!!
During times of adversity we come to know who our true friends are. If we make it a point to learn from our mistakes and downfalls, then the world will seem definitely be a better place to live in. It felt good to have gone through your year-end post. Here is wishing you a wonderful 2017 !
Thanks so much Maliny. Yes knowing our friends is a big blessing as is getting up after we fall down.
Wish you a very warm and abundant 2017!!!
Gratitude is a life saver, isn’t it? I’m glad I connected with you in 2016, Shalz. Wishing you a wonderfully blessed 2017.
It most certainly is Corrine and the feeling is so so mutual. I am grateful for finding write tribe and you in 2016 – may 2017 shine for all of us!! Cheers
That’s a beautiful word to have for the year, Shalini. If we cultivate gratitude in our day to day practice, it becomes simple and easy to extend it to everyone and everything else. May 2017 be a blessing for you.
Thanks so my Shailja and wish for 2017 to be a blissful year for you.
Its indeed a great thing to look at joys in little things in our life – path to a lot of happiness. cheers
So would I be right if I said that your word for 2016 could be ‘Acceptance’?
I think difficult times bring out the best in us, and your recap of 2016 just makes me believe that even more.
May your word for 2017 bring you lots of moments to be grateful for. Heres wishing you happiness, travel, exciting opportunities, fortune and a great 2017!
Slainte!
Acceptance is still difficult for me – I do find a difference there. For me it gets diluted with the feeling – oh alright, let it be!!! – you know what I mean 😉
Gratitude on the other hand is far humbler and down to earth, IMO!
Thank you for being such a wonderful blogbuddy – my 2016 blog year year rocks becuase of peeps like you! Cheers and loads of love for 2017
Same pinch Shalini..For me it is the word of 2016 and it will be ‘the’ word for next many years too as I have learnt the hard way that being thankful is very important to attract more things in you life to be thankful for. I liked the way your post goes from negatives to positives in life. That’s the spirit my friend. Keep going and keep your face only towards the sunshine. Wish you a wonderful 2017 🙂
Ditto Deepa! Thankfulness is very very important if we wanna evolve as human beings! Thanks for your kind words and so much appreciation. Wish you a blissful year ahead too!! Cheers
Gratitude means thankfulness, counting your blessings, noticing simple pleasures, and acknowledging everything that you receive. It means learning to live your life as if everything were a miracle, and being aware on a continuous basis of how much you’ve been given. Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.
Thanks so much Roms- feels so good to see you on my blog! Love your words. I am going to make gratitude my super power!! Cheers
I truly agree with this thought – “When one door closes, another opens”. This is the biggest learning that I had in 2016. Have a great year ahead!
Thanks so much – its nice to hear affirmations of ones beliefs! Wish you a very happy year too!
Yes we should always show our gratitude towards life’s gift , people who stand by our back . We have to & face tuff situations strongly & never give up .Amazing gratitude post 🙂
Thanks so much Bushra- Gratitude is my new superpower for the year 2017.