At this time of year, we are often prompted to reflect on what blessings we have in our lives and be grateful for all that we’ve been given. Sometimes this can be harder than it sounds. Although we know we’ve been blessed with much more than many other people on Earth have, we can have a discouraging week, month, or year even, that sets us back, makes us lose what ever hope we had in the recent past, and makes it harder for us to focus on the big picture. While not having everything we want can make us ambitious and strive for more, we can also let it make us less grateful people. Here are some ideas that can help you be more grateful and inspire hope, for both the good and bad in your own life.

Believe that behind every negative occurrence, there is hope for positivity.

It is hard for us to look at a bad situation and see more than what is right in front of our faces. However, everything happens for a reason. In the cause and effect that pushes the action of our lives forward you never know how the negativity you’ve experienced today might affect you tomorrow. Believing that this is the case will allow you to see what the silver lining of hope is behind every cloud.

Recognize that hard times are what make us strong people.

Do you remember hearing stories from older relatives about how much harder they had it growing up? Those stories weren’t just to remind us what an easy life we have. Those stories, in fact, are to show us that the struggles we go through now will help make us better people in the future. Just as they made it through the hard times, so will you. What ever difficulties you have ahead of you, don’t lose hope, these are the experiences you’ll share with your own family one day to help them find their own strength to keep moving forward.

Times of hardship open up our imaginations.

It is when we have the least to work with that we can come up with the most creative ideas. Look at J.K. Rowling, for example. She was nearly homeless and poverty stricken, suffering from depression onset by a difficult childhood and painful divorce when she decided to write what we now know as the Harry Potter series. It was all the suffering she’d been through that had allowed her imagination and hope to soar to the heights it did. Any of us are capable of the same.

Find the grateful people in your life.

What is the hope you surround yourself with? If you stop and think of all the people you encounter in your daily life, you will realize that many of them, in subtle ways, show gratitude for the lives they lead. If you are surrounded by people who aren’t grateful, then let this be a wakeup call. Being around those who are grateful will make it that much easier to see the good in your own situations.

Acknowledge your own riches.

Being rich is not strictly what is reserved to the monetary sense. All of our lives are filled with riches. The relationships in our lives, the roofs over our heads, being healthy and able-bodied, these are all riches that many people can only hope for, yet live without. Think about what the riches in your own life are and realize that you can’t put a price tag on the things you have. There is no dollar value for happiness, health, and harmony.

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