What Is One Good Thing That Happened Today?
As I write this, it is the day before Christmas and I have recently completed my yearly ritual of reflecting on my year. I have been doing a yearly reflection process since 2013, although it has tweaked over the years as I have grown and evolved.
I love this process. It really helps me to stop and reflect on the year that was and start to release it before the New Year begins. With a variety of prompts, I reflect on the highlights, challenges, gifts and lessons from the previous year. And one of the most fun parts is reading how I have transformed my own life.
Another part of the process is gratitude and identifying things, people or experiences that I am truly grateful for. Even though, gratitude has become a habit of mine over the years, I still like to do this. So, I shared a little about it on a clip on instagram – you can watch it here.
I Wonder What Would Happen…
I have had so many beautiful messages about this clip and it was lovely to see what people wrote also. It has inspired me to run a Year of Living Gratefully for 2026.
After the past few weeks here in Australia and the energy that has surrounded the Bondi tragedy, I wonder what would happen if we also were able to identify (and make it a habit) about one good thing that happened today? Or maybe one-heart warming thing is another way of saying that? Not to negate the challenges and tragedies. However, also to notice the beautiful, heart-warming experiences. A way of remembering the paradoxes that live within life – the yin and the yang, the light and the dark.
Amongst other things, gratitude is about training our minds and brains to identify the things in life that are valuable. These can be perceived as the little things, however often we find out they are the big things.
The Power of a “Thank You”…
In 2017, I came across the story of John Kralik. At the age of 53, John Kralik discovered how gratitude can change your life. In his book 365 Thank You Notes, Kralik explains that on December 22, 2007 everything in his life seemed to be going wrong. At that time, a few things that were happening for him included –
- his clients were not paying their bills on time (nearly $400000), so his law firm was losing money and losing its lease,
- he was going through a difficult divorce and was completely out of funds,
- he was living in a small, stuffy apartment where he often slept on the floor under the air conditioner,
- his girlfriend had just broken up with him.
- he was working 60 hours per week all year without a break, and
- he was worried of losing his 7-year old daughter.
On New Year’s Day 2008, Kralik took a walk in to the mountains – this walk started a shift for him as he started to realise he had a lot of unfulfilled resolutions. Throughout the walk, Kralik decided he wanted to be more than just another lawyer slinging hatred for a living. He wanted to do something meaningful with his life.
During the walk he heard a voice say – “Until you learn to be grateful for the things you have, you will not receive the things you want.” This statement reminded Kralik about his grandfather who after giving him a silver dollar said that if he wrote a letter thanking him for the silver dollar, he would get another one as that was the way thank you letters worked.
This inspired Kralik to set the intention of writing 365 thank yous in the coming year. You can read more about the story here.
Transitioning in to 2026…
As we transition in to 2026, do you sense your life could transform with gratitude? What if you focused on developing the habit responding to the question – What Is One Good Thing That Happened Today? If so, feel free to join me in A Year of Living Gratefully. If not, remember you can practice individually or with friends or family as well!
And, if you are ready to take yourself on the adventure of getting to know yourself (your true Self), why not join the newsletter? A place where I share tools, inspiration and ideas to live a courageous and openhearted life.