If you don’t count your blessings, they are more likely to pass you by without being noticed in this New Year, too.

There are countless studies that demonstrate how effective gratefulness can be for our happiness, performance, and productivity, so before you begin down the resolution road this year, count your blessings from last year. (Google search “gratefulness study”, and you will see incredible data backing my claim.)

If we are the sum total of our choices, habits, and behaviors…

The more you count your blessings, the better you will become at being grateful, appreciative, and thankful for all the things and happenings in your life–big or small. The better you become at being grateful, the happier you will be.

The happier you are, the easier it is to do the hard stuff that builds the necessary habits for your resolutions to stick.

Behavior changes for physical, financial, mental, spiritual, and relational transformation can seem very difficult (many of us experience this every year).

The Marine Corps is infiltrated with critical observers and people that point out the negatives in most situations–making transformation difficult. There is even a saying, “if the Marines aren’t complaining than something is wrong.” However, there was always a few standout Marines, some outliers, that everyone admired and were attracted to, because of their ability to transform themselves and others despite the obstacles.

These Marines could brighten up the worst of situations, with just a phrase.

I remember, we were in the middle of the night, freezing our butts off, practicing patrols with little to eat, no sleep, and not enough warming layers. When a seasoned Gunny came out of the night shadows, while our team was prepping to go out, and said with a smile, “and we get paid for this?”

It was in jest, but that short phrase, said with a smile, changed everyone’s perspective on that field operation. We were grateful for the training, because it would one day help us survive.

We were grateful for our paychecks, because they help us make ends meet.

We were grateful for each other, because we could suffer together.

We were grateful for him, because he made us all laugh and smile during a pretty tough challenge that would help us endure in the future.

So take a moment to think about last year’s blessings.

Be a good-finder.

Write it down, and tell some people about your blessings.

Ask those same people about their blessings…I guarantee they will appreciate you for it.

And then venture forward into this New Year with an attitude of gratefulness, and watch how your transformation, although challenging, won’t feel impossible.

Make this next year, your best year!!

If you need some help building habits and behaviors this year, email us to join Innovative Results – The Orange County Fitness Playground, at info@innovative-results.com or simply fill out the form below.