Pay attention to what people say they’re grateful for. 

Listen as they recite off their gratitude lists, the ones we’re all encouraged to think about this time of year.

The thing is, out of all those physical and non-physical things mentioned, you won’t hear much that makes the list that’s not something that a person has.

Why do we assume “having” is a positive thing, and “not having” is a negative?

After all, there’s plenty of things I don’t have that I’m super glad that I don’t: like cancer.

All I’m saying is, if you’re not considering being grateful for things you don't have, you’re missing out on a large part of what gratitude really is.

So instead of having gratitude lists with dozens of things I’m grateful for, I stay focused on just two things, and I have a simple prayer that is meant to keep that front in center for me:

Thank you for everything I do and do not have.

When you look at it this way, it’s almost as if everything in my life is in two buckets: things I have, and things I don’t.

With that in mind, I’m better off if I can be thankful not for the specifics of what I do or don’t have at any given time, since those will always be changing, and instead focus my attention to being grateful that I have those two buckets, regardless of what’s in them at any given time.

So, what are you grateful for? 

And remember, it’s not just about what you have, but also what you don’t.