​​I was prompted with the task of taking a moment, sitting down, and genuinely contemplating 300 aspects of my life that I love the most; here’s what happened.

The holidays can be difficult for any family in a variety of circumstances and ways. Problems such as estranged family relationships, losing a family member, or just family tension around the dinner table in general. 

Around Thanksgiving, I took a moment and forgot about all of the negatives that were surrounding my life. I sat on my computer and challenged myself to establish 300 (either random or not) parts of my life that I love. 

Some of these items were spontaneous, such as FBI/criminal justice T.V. shows, gold hoop earrings, Italian restaurants, getting my nails done, hot coffee on a cold morning, warm socks, organizing my planner, spearmint gum, etc. The list could go on. 

However, I took a moment to ponder the genuine characteristics of my life that I love the most. Some of these listed include my family relationships, the feeling of accomplishment, living close to my family, feeling loved by all of my supporters around me, making my parents proud, and my family’s unconditional love and support.

Now, I will say, I was not looking forward to taking time away from my busy schedule where I could have been doing other things in order to think about 300 things I love. However, once I began, they just kept flowing out. I would say it was relatively easy, but those last 20 can get pretty difficult.

I did not think this task was going to have as big of an effect as it did on me. At first, I thought of it as checking a box, but then as I got halfway through, it really got me thinking about how many positives live within my life. The negatives and sadness slowly started to go away. I eventually told myself that I have absolutely no reason to complain anymore, in any way, shape, or form. I have a family who surrounds me every single day, but when things in life go bad, our initial response is to immediately think of all the sad parts.

I will not lie, sadness can leave someone spiraling, when someone in your family which you were once close decides to leave, it is never easy. Therefore, everyone is allowed a brief amount of time to have their feelings, but eventually, it is time to surround yourself with the pros of life instead of the cons. 

No matter how hard it can be to think about it, everyone has something that they love. More than likely it will be multiple aspects, but no matter the quantity, thinking about it can cause your life to turn around. 

Another aspect of my life that made me realize how much I have to be thankful for is my friends. These people constantly support me and are always there for me. Although there have been tough times, I am a firm believer that the good outweighs the bad most of the time. Life is what you will make it. If you make it depressing and sulk 27/7, then it will be bad. If you make it lighthearted and fun, that is exactly what it will be

For anyone who dreads the holidays, I would absolutely recommend taking time to think about not only the things you are thankful for but just the parts of your life that bring you the most happiness.