Such a perfectly eloquent quote by Ray Bradbury in Fahrenheit 451:
We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing.
Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
This quote coupled with a couple of recent articles and a podcast or two really hit home. In so many ways we each already have everything we need to be happy – maybe joyful is the more appropriate term. We could feel fulfilled with all that we have in this present moment if we choose to. Instead we allow want / desire / greed / fear / envy get in the way and cloud our judgement, they block our gratitude.
Should we choose gratitude we have all we need right now in this present moment and in every present moment moving forward. When we try to sate our hunger for more by buying more we only push ourselves further from joy.
We have everything we need to be happy, but we aren’t happy. Something’s missing… Appreciation for what we have.
Appreciation:
As one of my teammates put it this morning as we talked about a book we are both reading based in the mid 1800’s based in the American Southwest and Northern Mexico:
“This book makes me grateful to be alive NOW as opposed to any other time”
No kidding!!! When we think of the challenges we face daily and then compare them to that specific timeframe and location I’m also grateful for being alive now as opposed to then, no question!
One of the reasons I enjoy the occasional historical fiction is the ability to see times long past through the eyes of today. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy is staggering in its ability to punch me in the gut over and over and over… and this is the second time I have read it!
What also really blew my mind today was learning how much of it was based on real life people and their stories! It is nothing short of ridiculous to think we used to be at such a different place as a people and culture.
Nice to pause and be grateful to be alive now, today.
Presence:
Nothing like a surprise visit from a friend bearing a batch of pumpkin rolls to start off a morning in the office!!! Thank you so much to Trissa for an awesome conversation AND delicious treats to boot! There may have been a few more than a few during the day, maybe one or two on the ride home, and definitely more at home. Always fun spending time catching up with some of the people who’ve left an onngoing positive impact!
This is it, tonight’s post marks the 3,652nd straight day of blogging about at least one thing I am grateful for – one full decade of daily gratitude blogging is complete! So crazy that I can still remember the very first day of blogging and how I hoped to keep it going for one year (or at least a few months).
Taking time to pause real life to focus on what I am thankful for has had a more profound positive impact on my life than I ever initially thought it could. This process has helped me through incredibly difficult times (like Dad’s sudden and very unexpected death). This process has helped me better appreciate the incredibly excellent times (like all the milestones with Becky and the boys). This process has also helped me be so much more thankful for all of the ordinary days filled with work, yoga, outside time, and whatnot. Had it not been for this ongoing effort to be more intentionally thankful there are so many moments I would have missed or at least missed the deeper meaning of.
Each day the focus on appreciation shifts the filter of my brain as I know each day I will be accountable to myself for blogging about something I am grateful for, this means each of my mornings start off with the question, “what am I going to be thankful for today?” That subtle behavior shift causes me to start looking for the upside in everything right off the bat.
Throughout the past decade I’ve also unintentionally created a journal of my life. Stories I would have potentially forgotten have been recorded to go back to, to remind me of so many of the simple treasures in life. Taking time to go back and read them reminds me of where I’ve been, remind me of lessons to remember, and bring back so many smiles.
This daily process has also helped me learn what is truly important in life. “Stuff” doesn’t bring joy, enjoying what we already have does. The concept of joy being “wanting what we have rather than having what we want” has become so clear to me. The more I am grateful for what I have the more I realize the less I actually need. Quite often the introduction of that which I do not need leads to additional stress and anxiety, certainly the opposite of joy.
The more I’ve blogged the more I realize how much I appreciate time with Becky and my boys, spending time with outdoors in motion, taking in the simple moments of stillness in life. A good book, an emotion provoking song, a sweaty yoga session, a hike. Even writing – something I never enjoyed before this blog – has become one of my sanctums of joy. My joy doesn’t come from shiny things, from approval of others, or status and achievement, rather it comes from appreciating time with my family, time alone in thought, and all the splendor and beauty of the natural world.
This daily process, this time for daily reflection, has become a cornerstone of who I am. It has helped me work on closing the gap between who I am and who I am called to be. This daily gratitude journaling has helped me become a more joyful me.
Cheers to the first decade of this daily appreciation process, and I look forward to decades to come!
Cut out all the distractions, put 100% focus into the task at hand, be amazed at how quickly you can slip into a flow state – even when it is something you typically don’t enjoy! Working on a project today reminded me of how important all of those components are and how they all work in unison to generate a very fulfilling and productive result.
Appreciation:
Each night before bed I pause and fill out a scorecard for the day. Yes, totally nerdy, but 100+% more effective than I realized!
Knowing I’ll be tracking and scoring myself late leads to behavior change on its own, a very positive and worthwhile endeavor there on its own.
What is really interesting to me is how much that daily tracking has become an unintentional journaling process which is helping me learn more about myself! As I analyzed my scorecard results form this year I learned some very interesting things. Here are some of those:
Joy spikes with people + nature + progress. Your +2 days almost always include one or more of: time with Becky/your boys, outside time/hiking/van days, and meaningful progress (training teammates, closing new clients, backpacking planning, sunrise hunting).
Joy dips with screens, over-packed weeks, and “drift.” Your -1/-2 entries regularly mention doomscrolling/screens/games, driving/commutes, too many meetings, sleep debt, being sick, and negativity (politics, conflict, or misaligned teammates/clients).
Intentional eating ≈ better days. When you log +1/+2 eating, Joy is typically ≥1. When eating is -1/-2, your notes often include “felt gross,” “junk food,” or “no exercise.”
Sleep is a quiet accelerator. The happiest streaks show ~7.5–9.0 hours. Sub-7 shows up around “exhausted / grumpy / mid.”
Movement helps—but being outdoors multiplies it. Plenty of +2 days have 60–180 min of activity, but the best ones call out woods, hiking, sunrise, van days—not just gym minutes.
Creative time correlates with meaning. Your best stretches include 1–3+ creative hours, especially when you’re writing, planning trips, or building trainings that become shared experiences.
More on this to follow as we near the end of the year!
Presence:
Running under the stars, feeling the cool air in my lungs, moving early in the morning. The early morning run was another win today! Nothing quite like it – being outside, quiet time with Becky, the world is asleep. We move through the darkness and are serenaded by the frogs and crickets. What else does one really need to live a joyful life? Time outdoors in motion and present in each moment.
While I’ve been tracking many things to start the year I am far from putting up a perfect score for a week, let alone a single day. What’s been most important to me is the pausing to be aware of my thoughts, my emotions, my actions, and my mindset. While there’s a very long way to go I’m seeing the little bits of progress like walking by the Butterfingers bars in the candy dish over half a dozen times rather than grabbing one or two every other trip by. That alone is not going to get me to the fitness standards I want to get to for my backpacking trips, but it certainly helps a little bit each time. Small changes that will all keep adding up over time with daily tracking to keep each action at the top of mind. Even when I fail I’m able to learn from the mistake and figure out a different plan for next time.
Appreciation:
I often mentioned the benefits of writing a blog post each day. The unintentional tracking of life, events, adventures, trials, triumphs, and everything in between has become a wonderful tool for reflection and growth. Sometimes I pull up a random post and read the posts that follow, so many memories are quickly rekindled. This has become a gift to myself, the bread crumbs my mind will need to bring back memories when I want to savor them.
Additionally, there’s another interesting benefit when I couple them with an AI tool, ChatGPT. I had ChatGPT review my blog posts, scour them for their content, and then asked a simply task: Review each calendar year of posts and write a tagline / theme for each year based on what I blogged about. The results were uncanny and certainly thought provoking! Not perfect, but interesting to see what a completely unbiased outside observer thought of my posts 🙂
2015:“Embarking on a Journey: The First Steps into Daily Gratitude.”
2016:“Building Foundations: Establishing a Habit, Discovering Joy.”
2017:“Trials and Triumphs: Choosing Gratitude Amidst Life’s Tests.” – This was the year I lost Dad
2018:“Deepening the Practice: Unveiling Layers of Thankfulness.”
2019:“Embracing the Everyday: Finding Beauty in the Mundane.”
2020:“Resilience in Reflection: Gratitude During Global Uncertainty.”
2021:“Renewal and Growth: Gratitude Fuels Personal Evolution.”
2022:“Strengthening Connections: Thankfulness in Relationships.”
2023:“Mindful Moments: Savoring the Present Through Gratitude.”
2024:“Less is More: Appreciating Simplicity and Presence.”
2025:“A Decade of Thanks: Reflecting on Ten Years of Gratitude.”
Presence:
One of the books I’m currently reading, The Humans by Matt Haig has totally wrapped me up in itself. Time seems to fly by as I get completely lost in the story. I find myself laughing out loud at the humor, having my emotions deeply moved by certain themes, and have to stop for a moment to soak in the concepts just shared. So much fun getting completely enthralled in great stories!
Over the past couple of years I’ve worked towards splitting my blog into three parts – Growth, Appreciation, and Presence – an homage of sorts to one of my first mentors who goes out of her way to find one thing that is beautiful each day. When I first learned of her practice it helped me see that I would benefit from finding one way I grew one thing I appreciated, and one moment of true presence each day. This practice has increased my awareness of those three categories more than expected and has led to growth through introspection.
That said, when I started blogging daily almost ten years ago I focused on one specific thing I was thankful for each day and I went deeper into that singular topic. Occasionally I had “list days” in which I had to go through an entire list of what I was grateful for as there seemed to be blessing after blessing after blessing. For sure, they weren’t all initially seen as “blessings,” some were very challenging moments in which I was able to grow, but they were moments that shaped and molded me, hence I was grateful for them even though they hurt. As another of my mentors once said, “‘Joy’ isn’t the same as happiness, and it is often the opposite of comfort.”
Lately I’ve been a fan of breaking the blog into smaller bite sized pieces as it provides the opportunity to not go too deep into too many categories, especially the ones I need to write about but don’t want to go deep into because they hurt. What’s interesting is that it is in exactly those moments in which I need to go a little deeper and work through my thoughts and emotions. In processing all of life, the blessings and the frustrations and the sufferings, gratitude helps transform all the experiences into growth. It is in that vein that I am opting to go “old school” tonight and dive a little deeper.
Whew – and that was all just the intro! 😉
Today has been a difficult day, one filled with emotion, one in which I can’t help but pause, take a step back, and feel incredibly discouraged. Due to compounding of mistakes and missteps there are challenges I need to face in business and they have a large impact. By the end of the work day I was feeling drained and questioning my ability to live into the purpose I feel called to live into, to brighten lives through shared experiences. In short, I was feeling like a failure. There were bright spots throughout the day to be sure, but the biggest challenge just kept pulling me down and it seemed to be the only place I could focus my attention. I felt defeated.
As I tried to put it behind me for the night and spend time focused on my family and being home I kept drifting back to that challenge. I could feel the weight of it on my shoulders and my soul.
Out of the blue I received a phone call from someone I had not spoken with in over four years. They were reaching out to ask me to be a reference for them as they considered a path towards a dream they want to live into. As we spoke they shared the positive impact I’d had on their life at a pivotal time. The thoughts and appreciation I shared for them helped them out with providing the right message at the right time and they are still grateful for that interaction. My eyes were watering up as they shared the positive impact I’d had. In a sentence, they shared that I had lived into my purpose – to brighten lives through shared experiences.
What a dichotomy! In one case I was feeling as if I was failing at my purpose, yet in the other I’d lived into it without intention. Two distinct moments of the day, both overshadowing all the rest, both focused on purpose, and yet both going in polar opposite directions.
As I spend time reflecting on today and both of those interactions I can’t help but remember a handful of nuggets of wisdom others have taught:
The question we should be asking ourselves isn’t “What should I do?” rather, it should be “How can I be useful?” In that question we find the direction we should really pursue.
Each day we should ask ourselves, “How have we impacted the lives of others?” This question will also help us see the positive, but it can also cut deeply and help us learn from our mistakes. Asking myself this question has led to tremendous insight into whether or not I’m living into the best version of me.
Never underestimate the power of small gestures. This was advice I’ve learned from many others, but Jim Collins summarized so concisely. Don’t hesitate to reach out and share what a positive impact someone has made on you – you never know when that is exactly what they needed at the right time. The conversation this evening was an exquisite balance of sharing my gratitude four years ago when the other person needed it and their sharing of their gratitude exactly when I needed it. The Universe dances so beautifully and moves us all exactly where we need to be if we allow it to. Never hesitate to share our gratitude or kind words, those small gestures may have an enormous positive impact on the other person and cause a ripple of positivity which will grow and grow.
Control what you can control. This was what started the conversation with my friend and I a handful of years ago and I chuckled as I re-read what I wrote for them back then. Little did I know how much the world would change and how much difficulty and challenge that phrase would get me through. Even tonight I can’t help but be reminded of how much this is a guiding light in my life – when I remember to seek the advice out for myself.
As I finally wrap this all up I can’t help but smile. My challenge still lies in front of me, but I feel more bolstered to figure it out while also remembering that there are ways to live into my purpose while doing so. I’m reminded of, and grateful for, the small gestures which help us see the world more clearly when we’ve let it get hazy. The clarity provided this evening was truly stunning and moving. If it were my story to share I would get into more detail, but that is for them. At least I can share that their motivation, selflessness, gratitude, passion, and integrity are inspiring to me, in many ways they have had a very positive impact on me.
To my friend – thank you for the incredibly positive impact you’ve had on me today. The writing of my blog was cathartic, and inspired by you. Thank you for reminding me that one misstep doesn’t define us, we have the opportunity to live into our purpose daily, and inspiring me to live into my dreams – especially when it isn’t easy.
One of the lessons I learned throughout the past 3,000+ days is that it is possible to be grateful for pretty much anything, including the totally mundane. Spending time cleaning the floors was pure medicine for the soul. It was a specific task, one with a clearly defined objective, something to be completed with the work of my hands. Whatever I task in front of me, I can choose to be grateful for it should I choose to view the task through the right lens. Gratitude is chosen, not a result of a joyful activity or moment, gratitude is the conscious choice to find joy in any situation. When I’m frustrated, bored, annoyed, or not fully engaged I always have a choice to make – be thankful for the task, no matter how mundane, and joy will follow.
Appreciation:
This morning Gavin and I took Leia out for a walk after our weightlifting practices. He was acting a little off and kind of bummed. After a short distance he apologized for not being in a talkative mood. I gave him some space and asked if he would prefer silence or me talking without expecting a response from him. He chose the former so I occasionally mentioned things I was noticing in the woods (the squirrel tracks, the eagle calls). Within ten minutes we were laughing, joking, and also enjoying moments of quiet stillness in the woods. As we were wrapping up the walk I heard him make a huge sigh of satisfaction.
“Life is just better and easier out in the woods, isn’t it Bud,” I asked. He resoundingly agreed and shared his gratitude for taking additional time outside.
We spent the rest of the walk in peace, joking, talking, laughing, and enjoying the sights around us. Joyful, calm, at peace, appreciative.
Whether or not this specific moment will stick with Gavin for the rest of his life, it will with me. That sigh he made. The realization that the woods often has what we need to heal our souls, to ease our troubles, to help us remember to pause and appreciate the life we have. I am so grateful for that moment he experienced, and for the reminder it was to me. Dad and I shared several moments like this when we spent time together in the woods, I’m glad to have shared moments like this on to my sons as well.
Presence:
While lifting today I decided to push myself a little further than normal. In between my normal sets I decided to see what I still have in the tank for my bench press. I loaded up the bar and hit it as hard as I could… and I surprised myself with my ability to put the weight right up! I’m sore now, but in the moment it felt amazing to push and strain to get the bar back up. Nothing else existed in the world outside of my effort and breath. One focused moment of exertion, amazing!
Today marks an incredible milestone—3,000 days of introspection, appreciation, and growth. As I reflect on this remarkable journey, I’m compelled to share the invaluable lessons these daily reflections have bestowed upon me.
The Genesis of Gratitude
It all began on September 29, 2015, a decision to pause, reflect, and document at least one thing I was grateful for each day. What started as a year-long commitment grew into an integral part of my life, shaping my perspective and mental landscape.
Embracing the GAP: Growth, Appreciation, Presence
The ethos of Growth, Appreciation, and Presence became my guiding compass. Through daily musings on personal growth, moments of profound appreciation, and the power of being present, I’ve nurtured a deeper connection with myself and the world around me.
Top 10 Lessons from a Million Words
Daily Practice Builds Consistency: Small, daily goals culminate in significant achievements. How can we harness the power of consistent, incremental efforts in our own lives?
Create Space: By minimizing “dead time” and dedicating moments to reflection, I found ample time for gratitude amidst the hustle.
Reflection Soothes the Soul: In silence, clarity emerges. Time spent introspecting has been invaluable in navigating thoughts and emotions.
Give Myself Grace: Imperfections aren’t stumbling blocks but stepping stones for learning and growth.
Journaling is Timeless: These daily entries are a gift to my future self and loved ones, an autobiography woven with gratitude.
Appreciation of the Mundane: The mundane holds profound beauty when seen through the lens of gratitude.
Proactive Gratitude Creates More: Actively seeking moments of gratitude amplifies their presence in our lives.
Appreciation in Adversity: Choosing gratitude amidst life’s storms empowers resilience.
Appreciation Creates Intentionality: Observing recurring sources of gratitude helps shape a life aligned with joy and purpose.
Choose Growth, Appreciation, Presence: This triumvirate fuels an upward spiral of fulfillment even in life’s toughest moments.
The 11th Lesson: Endless Gratitude
There’s an abundance of gratitude in the world waiting to be acknowledged. It’s not just about seeing these moments; it’s about pausing to embrace and appreciate them.
Embracing Choice and Intent
Amidst life’s uncertainties, our response remains within our control. Choosing intentionality, growth, appreciation, and presence allows us to bridge the gap between who we are and who we aspire to be.
Join Me in This Journey
To all who have supported this odyssey, your encouragement has been the wind beneath my wings. As I look forward to continuing this voyage, I invite you to share your own stories of gratitude and embark on this journey together.
Let’s choose joy. Let’s choose gratitude. Here’s to 3,000 days and the countless moments of appreciation that lie ahead.
I think people get old when they stop thinking about the future. If you want to find someone’s true age, listen to them. If they talk about the past and they talk about all the things that happened that they did, they’ve gotten old. If they think about their dreams, their aspirations, what they’re still looking forward to – they’re young.”
Ric Elias quoted by Peter Attia in Outlive
Truth.
Appreciation:
Stress is going to happen in our lives. Something outside of our control happens, causes an unexpected issue, and we have to figure out how to adapt to it or how to correct it. What we can control is the way we respond, the way we choose our attitudes in those moments. What really stuck out to me today is how inspiring it is to spend time with people who smile and choose joy even in moments of stress. Their positive energy is contagious and help create more smiles for all around them. It is like an upward spiral of joy in the face of stress as one person’s positive response to a challenge inspires another to smile through their stress which in they inspire someone else to choose the same path. So awesome seeing the escalation of positivity like that!!! Seeing teammates in action like this today remind me how important it is to choose the right attitude – to help ourselves AND to help others.
Presence:
When I got out of bed this morning my legs were sore! It took a hot minute to get up the courage to step out of bed and see what I had underneath me… but then everything went very well. My legs loosened up rather quickly! Once I was on my bike and got moving it seemed as if everything was back to normal. My cadence was solid and held right at 90-95 while my resistance stayed put with where it normally is. All in all, it felt pretty good.
The moment of presence I am grateful for was the hyper awareness of the sensations in my leg muscles and elsewhere throughout my body today. In an action as simple as turning my torso I can feel the muscles that were worked yesterday and I paid extra attention to how they were feeling. It is not often that I put that much focus into the sensations within my body, it was pretty enlightening today!
Thankful for Forty 