Finding Gratitude In Your Every Day Life - Celebrating The Ordinary!

Celebrating the ordinary! I just read that online and loved it! These days it seems like we are being shown on social media that the only way to have an exceptional life worth broadcasting is by continuously traveling, eating out at some boujee restaurant every night, and by wearing the latest, most trendiest clothing. But I truly believe that you can lead an extraordinary life that is beautifully simple and unique to you and your liking. A lot of the people that I talk to literally say that they have to take breaks from Instagram simply because they feel discouraged, or as though their life does not measure up to what is "insta-worthy" these days. And honestly I get it, and that is why I love to share my every day bliss and struggles as much as I can. I do this because I love my every day life as a mom, wife, and individual pursuing my goals each and every day. But I also do it to provide some transparency, some realness, some insight about the fact that my life does not have to always be what society views as "Insta-worthy" for me to love it. For me to embrace it. And for you guys to share in that embrace. I am fully aware of the fact that some posts will generate more likes and attention than others, but I don't look at that. I look at how relatable and honest I can be with the life I lead, and ultimately love. 

Here's the thing... we all decide what we want our lives to be. And if you haven't done that by now, you should! Don't leave it up to others or societal trends, that are always changing by the way. Decide the type of life you want to live, be happy with it, and celebrate it each and every day. Celebrate the ordinary! You were able to wake up and workout for 30 minutes? Celebrate the fact that your body is able to move and allow you to do that! You had a smooth commute to work in the AM, and even got to take in some pretty views? Celebrate the fact that you have a reliable vehicle that allows you to get from point A to B while you enjoy the ride! You made an amazingly great tasting dinner for you and your family? Celebrate the fact that you were able to not only nourish their bodies, but also allow them to enjoy such fine cuisine within the comfort of their own home!

What I am trying to say is whether you are a student, a single mother, a husband, a professional, or an elderly person; you are living in the very authentic life that only you could have chosen for yourself, and should keep choosing as you see fit. And that alone is worth all of the celebration you can possibly give it. You set the standards, and you get to decide what your life means to you. Your life is not up for debate amongst others. Sure you may face some judgement and criticism, but so what! Once you make the unwavering decision to love your life for what it is, you discredit all of the naysayers and those who think that it is nothing worth celebrating. I'm telling you guys right now, that if you were to listen to a lot of very successful people speak, especially the ones who go to Oprah after a huge life shift, you will soon begin to recognize a theme. That even though they all were stupid rich, traveled the world, and basically had all of the materialistic things, they still were not happy with themselves, or their lives. A lot of them even had to revert back to a minimally lived life to truly connect with their deepest selves, and find something in themselves and their every day lives that was ACTUALLY worth celebrating. So don't think about "when I do this", or "if I get that"... and definitely do not waste your time watching what others are doing, and telling yourself that they have it so much better than you do. Because even if they do, you and I will never know, and we don't have to, because we are good in knowing that every one has a story,  or has had a time of struggle, and has experienced failure or pain. This is what makes us human my friends. All that we have to do is try and see that it doesn't take much for us as human beings to truly feel happy. It doesn't take much for us to truly be grateful for all the we presently DO have. We just have to tap in to it, to those feelings, and remind ourselves every so often how blessed we are simply because we have life.

We shouldn't have to wait for our good health to decline to then appreciate it for what it was. We shouldn't wait to feel validated by Instagram likes, or by the greater population to feel like we are worthy of living a great life. We should find purpose, love and joy in our every day lives, and know that we are here in this very moment in time, and the next, for a reason. I am here, writing this for a reason. And of course YOU are here, reading this, for a reason as well!

Try it! Celebrate the every day life that you live, and be sure to feel exceptionally good doing it. We get one life to live, that's it, one shot to take it all in and do the very best that we can to ensure that we are in complete love with ourselves, and our lives overall.

Now go and celebrate the fact that it's Friday and you living YOUR best life RIGHT NOW!

With love,

S.S.