If you’re anything like me- you adore this time of year.

The food! The festivities! The decorations! If you’re in a cold climate and love it- SNOW! I’m perfectly happy with a California Christmas, but I have plenty of loved ones that cherish the cold and snow.

I’m the person that buys special pajamas for my whole family because I love how cute everyone looks, and because it’s such a fun thing to do every year. I love that even though my daughters are getting older, they still participate. My husband happily does it too. I love the bright wrapping paper under the tree, and the family traditions.

As much as I love the end of the year, and the time with my family, I also love it for another reason. It’s a wonderful time to practice gratitude, to look around at your life, and acknowledge what you have.

There’s no better time than the present to appreciate your life, but the end of the year is a really good time to look back and feel good about what you do have.

My entire life, and business, is built around gratitude. I practice it daily. In the midst of the stress of life, finding moments each day to acknowledge what I am grateful for provides peace. Usually, they’re small things. But small things are often big things, you know?

The end of the year is when I really love to focus on the true gifts of life, the real things I’m incredibly grateful for. The things that are the foundations of my life, that contribute greatly to my joy and zest for life.

My daughters, first and foremost, I’m forever grateful for them. I’m grateful for what they’ve taught me, and continue to teach me. I’m grateful that they’re happy and healthy.

I’m grateful for my husband, for the safe space he is for me. I’m grateful for the different perspectives he provides, and for his constant energy- even when it drives me nuts.

I’m grateful for the home I live in, in a warm climate. I love that my home is cozy, and safe, and that everyone that comes inside feels loved. I have a roof over my head every night, and a clean bed to sleep in.

I’m grateful to have access to such amazing, healthy, and nutritious food. I have clean water to drink, as often as I need it, and clean air to breathe during the many moments of my year when I need to talk deep, calming breaths.

I also remain incredibly grateful for my tribe. The people that are there when I’m down, that I’ve shared endless laughter with, and always have my back. I wouldn’t have gotten through this year without the incredible people in my life, and I am so blessed to be loved by them, and to love them.

These things I’ve listed, I think about often, and frequently thank the universe for. But, I also like to really feel grateful for the these things as each year ends, and feel the beautiful energy of life around me. Life is beautiful, and there are so many wonderful things in each of our lives.

So before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, and your thoughts inevitably turn to the new year, and the new things you want to happen, I ask that you please take time to think about what this year has been.

Every year provides gifts, and memories, and you leave each year a new version of yourself.

There are always things to be grateful for, and proud of. So take some real moments, and honor what this year has been. List out what your true gifts are- not the shiny ones wrapped in paper, but the things you can’t live without.

Really take a moment to be grateful for those things that kept you going, those things that are your foundations, and all the things you do have that you might be taking for granted. We all do it. There are people with so much, that forget what they have. And there are too many people with far too little, that want what we all take for granted- warmth, food, and loved ones to celebrate with.

Now, I’m not guilting you here, but there’s truth in all of this. You very likely have more than you realize, and it really is a wonderful time to give thanks for those incredible things that make up your life.

So I ask you, what are the true gifts in your life?

In Gratitude,

Robin

Robin Lee is a medical intuitive, author, mentor, gratitude advocate, and speaker who has helped thousands of people around the world understand the language of their bodies. Robin believes that our bodies innately know how to balance and heal themselves if given proper care and support. Visit her website and follow her on Facebook and Twitter, where she shares tips, tools, and techniques to honor our bodies and heal our lives!

Image courtesy of Any Lane.