We all know we’re supposed to practice gratitude. Count your blessings. Look on the bright side. And most of the time, that advice is worth something.
But there are days and seasons of life when it just does not land. When you’re carrying real loss, grief, or hardship, being told to find the silver lining can feel like it’s brushing past the weight of what you’re going through.
Here is a gentler way by 10Almonds to think about it. Even in the worst of life, there are still things worth holding onto. After a loss, for example, you might not want to hear anything about silver linings, but you might find real comfort in feeling grateful for the love you shared and the ways you shaped each other’s lives.
When the hardship is more of the world-around-you kind (the kind none of us can fully escape), you can still find gratitude for your own strength, for the way people show up for each other, and for the small comforts that appear along the way.
As the saying goes: not every day is good, but there is some good in every day.
The Three-Step Method
A simple three-step approach can help you catch more of those good moments before they slip by:
- Stop — Slow down. Build quiet pauses into your day. When life moves too fast, the good stuff can pass you right by without you ever noticing it.
- Look — Open your senses to the richness around you. Be open to chances to help someone else, too. Making another person happy has a way of reflecting back.
- Go — Act on what’s in front of you. The present moment is where the opportunities actually live.
Stop. Look. Go. It’s a small habit. But practiced regularly, it changes what you notice and what you feel.
