By changing how you approach life, you influence how life approaches you. Let this post inspire you to step away from your busy life and see life differently, with attention and appreciation.

“Believe in your heart that you’re meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” — Roy T. Bennett

What if we woke up and said “thank you” before anything else—to life for having us, for our bed for being there, for the sun shining through the window, for the people we call our friends? Then life might feel new.

We could walk outside regularly and stop to breathe the air fully. We could feel the sun on our skin and look into nature like this whole thing, life, is a million miracles, or one great miracle.

Gratitude and mindfulness are two habits that make every other habit feel more enriching and alive, less rigid and more changeable. They make us feel more powerful as we see life differently through their lens.

A change of scenery can do wonderful things for our mental health.

When you feel stuck in a rut, wonder how you could see life differently.

Root yourself in the present moment, totally and wholeheartedly.

Be more present in your own life, and feel your appreciation for being alive at all, growing.

If you step away from your phone, you might remember there’s a great, big world to explore. You don’t need to go far to see it. Every room in your house offers a different view. Every step along the street is an adventure; the key is to see it like that.

The key to living differently is to see life differently.

It’s like we’re secretly waiting for life to hand us a golden ticket that says: “You’re enough now. You can enjoy life now. All is working out just fine.”

We wait until we've finished the task or reached the goal, but even when we do, there's another one waiting for us.

Maybe, we can still work on our goals, but just approach them in a new way, and then they might fulfill us right in the middle of the journey.

At the risk of sounding too simple, it’s gratitude and mindfulness that can change our lives from the ground up.

One of the most beautiful things about gratitude is that you can use it as a starting point to enter life mindfully. And the relationship is mutual: you can enter gratitude through mindfulness too. Whichever way you enter, life tends to feel, somehow, like new.

Abundance isn’t something to attain, but something to tune into.

It’s easy to forget how rich we are just because we’re alive.

You don’t have to wait until the goal is behind you to feel the life that is in you and all around you.

I hope you stop long enough to appreciate who and where you are. I hope you try out gratitude sincerely enough until you feel like everything has returned to you, renewed.

. . .

Tell me:

Which of these thoughts did you need to read today?

Tell me in the comments. I read every single one, and I'd love to know!

With love,

Jen

P.S. Want to embrace this season more fully than you’ve been doing? No matter what? Get my book Morning Affirmations for light when you need it most. Get my book Sleep Affirmations to fall asleep knowing all really is well. You’ll feel… better.