Can you believe Christmas and New Year are already cleared from the shelves and mini eggs are tempting you to leave your New Year resolution of healthy eating far behind!

For me, the joy of my Christmas presents is truly only beginning!! Amid the chaos of family, food, games and lots of laughter I barely have time to examine all my booty so generously chosen, wrapped and presented to me. I carefully and neatly set them into a bag and store them safely until the dust settles.

Now the time has come to lovingly reopen each one and really appreciate what everyone has given me. It is often the little things that delight me most, for example, a little card from Beth with encouraging words, a delicate vase with autumnal dried flowers from Emma that makes me smile every time I walk into the room, my new pens chosen with love from Andrew and Ali that I can use to  journal my thoughts. So I am full of thankfulness and feel that Christmas is still with me as I see each gift and feel the love that comes along with it.

I am mindful of our culture where we are constantly in search of the ‘next new thing’, never satisfied, never grateful, never content, rather always seeking, always wanting more, always comparing.

In truth I feel so much more joy in seeing others enjoy my gifts but like everyone else can find myself drawn into the undercurrent of discontentment that characterises so much of life. 

Contentment can be elusive, yet it is such a gift. 

Perhaps we need a shift in perspective?

Contentment comes from a thankful heart, instead of looking at what you lack or don’t have, choose to look at what you do have.

Each day write down a few things you are thankful for, even simple things like breakfast, a warm bed, fresh clean water and so much more we take for granted. Our problem is we compare ourselves and always feel they have more than us or have something we really want.

COMPARISON STEALS YOUR JOY AND ENCOURAGES DISCONTENTMENT 

Wanting and then receiving what another person has will never lead to contentment, it only leads to wanting more!! 

So start each day with thankfulness, as 2020 is beginning choose to love 💕 and value what you already have, cherish and look after it, the Western World has led you to believe so many things are disposable and you can just replace them with another new thing, climb down from the hamster wheel and see the abundance around you compared to so many people in our World.

Shift your perspective to that of a thankful heart.