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Things to be grateful for

New Year, new YOU?✨

Let’s reflect back to where we were this time last year.

What were some of the goals you had for yourself for this year? Did you manage to complete it? Did you accomplish some or all of the things that were on your list? Did you celebrate yourself when you managed to accomplish those goals?

If you haven’t, then take a moment and give yourself kudos 👏🏾 kudos for accomplishing even one item from your list, kudos for not having given up. You should be proud of yourself, proud of everything you managed to get done and even those that you didn’t manage to accomplish.

You should be happy and grateful that you are here at this time in this moment. Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have food on the table? Do you have a place you can call home? Although it may not seem like a lot but for those that don’t have it this is huge.

Many are praying for a place to call home or to have a meal every day but us who have it, we can take this for granted.. thinking that it is normal to have these things (wake up call, it is not).

You may not have all the above but are you reading this right now? This means you have the internet! Are seeing my blog? This means you have eyes to see, did you wake up this morning? This means you have oxygen to breathe, are you healthy? This means you have more already than most !

We take so many things for granted like it is a given to have but the actuality is, it is a blessing to have! We always want bigger and better things but how can we achieve those when we don’t appreciate the smaller things in life that we have been blessed to have?

Example: when we have €100 we often would say, it would be so much better or things would be so much easier if I had €1000 and when we get €1000 we say if it was €1100 I would be happy and complete. When are we taking the time to be grateful for going from 100 to 1000?

How can we say we will appreciate the bigger things in life when we receive it, if we cannot appreciate the smaller things that we have already? The same small things that are huge for others?

Let me tell you a story about what has thought me to appreciate even the smaller things in life..

When I was younger, before I met my husband I was very successful and making more money than any regular 19 year old would make. My husband also on his side was very successful for someone in their early 20s, so when we got together we obviously didn’t expect what was to come.

Due to drastic move and changed circumstances we found ourselves living and surviving from our savings and with that being said, we also made some dumb young decisions that our savings had no chances to survive.

Both of us had always been hard workers and well off, we never expected to find ourselves in the situations where we found ourselves when we settled down as a couple.

God humbled us by removing everything we made separately and made us start from scratch in making what we now have together.

It was not easy because we were the kind that would spend with asking the price or that didn’t need to ask for price because we were good and to add my dad was also spoiling me by giving me an allowance.

So when we found ourselves with a rent 5x more then the market price back in 2009 and both of us not working due to as I mentioned drastic move on my husband’s side and me being pregnant so I wasn’t working- reality hit us hard.

We had a huge beautiful apartment in the centre of Cork city and nothing else but that apartment and every penny we had saved we couldn’t use it because that would go towards our rent and the baby we are about to have in less then 5 months.

I remember one night we were counting the pennies to bring it to even 2 euro to be able to buy bread and peanut butter.

We had a tv but no channels because I remember the day Michael Jackson died, we had no where to watch it on tv and broadband and the internet back then wasn’t what it is now either, so we were listening to the radio to hear the updates and his greatest hits as we rememberred the King of pop who was a huge influence in both of our childhoods.

Those time thought us what was important in life and how to appreciate the smaller things and little wins in life!

We didn’t have much or anything but we felt rich because we had each other, as a couple it brought us closer together because we had all of this time to get to know each other.

As individuals it thought us never to think of anything we have as a given but to appreciate every little thing we get in life.

Our situation didn’t last more than 3 months but it felt like 3 years!!! In our household we take a moment to thank God even for giving us little things like socks to keep us warm, if that is what we have been wanting and have finally received it for example.

Nothing is too small for us to be grateful for because when you don’t have it, trust me it all seems like luxury.

God humbled us as individuals to bless us as a couple!

We may not be millionaires but we are rich over here!!! Rich in gratitude, rich in love, rich in wealth, we are blessed and highly favoured!

So I ask what are you grateful for?

Did you give yourself kudos for what you managed to accomplish this year? Did you give yourself kudos or thank God for the little things you have in life?

Whatever you haven’t managed to accomplish don’t worry, if it was meant for you to have, then there is always tomorrow! however, if it was not meant for you then it simply wasn’t. There will be a time when you will understand why it wasn’t and what was actually meant to be or what you were meant to have.

Let us appreciate the little things we have today in order to value the big things we will have tomorrow

Daily self check ins

How are you really doing today?
What are some of your to do list? What are some of the things or life events you have coming up in the next 6 months?

Open any device or anywhere you have a calendar 🗓 and write ✍️ it down! Give yourself 6 months – set a reminder. In 6 months time come back to those same goals/tasks or questions that you wrote and tick✅ or cross out what you managed to accomplish.
We are always worrying ourself and setting up goals 🎯 targets!
What do we do when we complete those goals? Mostly nothing right? Now is the time for you to tap yourself on your back for having a task completed 👏🏾🙌🏾

Every 6 months when you are able to complete even just ONE item remember to celebrate yourself 🎉 for the ones you weren’t able to accomplish off your list add another 6 months and repeat the cycle. 📝

Thank you for the amazing support HAYRD has been receiving and for those that have started reaching out, to talk about their seasons of life. Continue sharing our blogs and spread the word about HAYRD!