Showing Gratitude and Paying It Forward

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #WellYesMoment #CollectiveBias

Sometimes life can be hard and challenging and it’s easy to say why me. But showing gratitude and paying it forward can be positively life changing!

You all may or may not have noticed, but I haven’t been blogging that much this past year. I have hinted here and there that we were going through a rough patch, between the unexpected the loss of a loved one, major dental surgery and other medical concerns and learning that several immediate and extended family members were impacted by the recent hurricane, this year has been hard. Like real hard.

Through it all I have tried to do my best to stay positive and hopeful, both in real life and on this blog. I’ve tried to focus on all the good this year has brought, a healthy new niece, a wedding, unexpected job opportunities and in the midst of all the hardship, kind, caring and compassionate people who have stepped up and helped when not even asked.

Throughout this roller coaster of a year, full of highs and lows, there have been many times when I wanted to say why me, poor me, and have a personal pity party. And yes, there is no doubt that there has been anger, sadness and frustration, and that’s all part of life and dealing with hard times; but that’s not a good place to stay.

To help not only myself and my family heal, I started to focus on all the good things that were happening. Yes, cuddling a new niece and getting ready for a wedding is wonderful and exciting, but I wanted to focus not only on all the big things that were happening but also the little everyday good things.

So, I started keeping a gratitude journal, writing down at least three good things/things I was thankful for that happened that day. I kept a gratitude journal years ago, when life was throwing me a curve ball back then, and it helped so much and it’s amazing how much it’s helping me again now!

My gratitude journal is filled with so many good things. From a friendly and helpful barista, to a friend calling to check on me, to someone holding the door open for me when my hands were full and complete strangers helping strangers clean their homes after a hurricane, these are all good things to be grateful for!

After a long day, thinking back and choosing to focus on these little, kind gestures instead of the hardships of the day, helped me see that there is so much good in the world!

Slowly, after a few weeks of keeping the gratitude journal, my mood started to improve. I started to take better care of myself, getting back to working out regularly, eating balanced meals, doing things that were relaxing, like reading a book or crafting. I knew that if I could take better care of myself, I could then pay it forward.

In addition to writing down three things a day that I was grateful for in my gratitude journal, I challenged myself to pay it forward and do some small (or big!) random act of kindness for someone else. This might mean asking to speak to a manager when an employee has given exceptional customer service and instead of hearing the usual complaint, that manager is hearing something positive.

Other random acts of kindness have been complimenting a complete stranger on their outfit, hair, etc. (which is sometimes hard for me when I can be shy and awkward around complete strangers, lol!), watching my neighbor’s kids so that she can run to an appointment, paying for the car behind me in line at the coffee shop, inviting a friend going through her own struggles over for lunch, volunteering at the local food bank and animal shelter, and actually writing handwritten thank you notes to all those people who have helped us (with take in meals, donations and other extremely generous acts) the past few months.

All these things, choosing to see the good around me, saying yes to opportunities to be the good in the world and saying yes to my overall health and wellbeing has helped not only myself, but my other family members who are struggling as well.

I know there are going to be plenty of challenges ahead, here in the next few weeks and months and even much further down the road; but I am going to continue to take care of myself so that I can continue to say yes to good and pay it forward!

Part of taking care of myself emotionally is taking care of myself physically. Working out a few days a week, going on daily walks to get fresh air, going to bed at a decent hour, doing fun and relaxing activities, like reading or crafting and, of course, eating a balanced diet. That’s why I was happy to discover Well Yes!® soups earlier this year.

After my dental surgery, I had to be on a liquid/soft food diet for several weeks. During that time I became a fan of the Well Yes! Tomato Carrot Bisque and Sweet Potato Corn Chowder and ate them over and over. I’ve since continued to buy the Well Yes! lines of soup, now buying several other flavors, like Well Yes! Roasted Chicken with Wild Rice and Minestrone with Kale to have on hand for quick lunches and dinners. Well Yes! soups, “A Soup in the Right Direction®”, do not contain artificial flavors or colors and are made with nutritious, non-gmo ingredients, like chicken meat with no antibiotics, sweet potatoes, kale, and quinoa, that you can see and taste with every spoonful.

I hope you all feel inspired to show thanks and pay it forward! I’m curious, what is your “moment of yes”? How do you say yes to goodness and pay it forward? Don’t forget to enter the #WellYesMoment Sweepstakes in the widget below for a chance to win up to a $500 Visa gift card! It’s as easy as clicking, logging in, and sharing your Moment of Yes story! If you win, think of all the ways you can use the prize to achieve your Moment of Yes!

#WellYesMoment #Sweepstakes (10/14 to 11/17)

For more inspiring “Moments of Yes,” click here. You can stock up on Well Yes! soups at your local grocer and don’t forget to take advantage of the current coupon offer. For more information about Well Yes! soups and to share your “Moment of Yes” follow Well Yes! online, Instagram and Facebook!