Be Grateful for Hidden Gifts

“There are hidden blessings in every struggle. Be grateful for every blessing both hidden and apparent.” ~unknown

Years ago, I was speaking to a fellow coach who believed that hardships and tragedy are things we should embrace and even love. Now I will admit that I completely balked at that idea. I mean seriously, “love tragedy”? Nope. After all, I’ve experienced a lot of hardship and loss in my life and have worked with clients throughout the years who have endured tremendous struggle and unthinkable tragedy so I was not convinced that any of those things were something we could love.

But what I do believe, is that although we might not be able to get to the point of loving what has happened, we can in fact look for the gift in those experiences and love those gifts. Because hidden in every experience we have – the good and the bad – there is a gift given to us. And if we can identify the gifts and be grateful for them, then we can turn them into empowerment for a better future.

This simple practice of looking for the gift in every experience and being grateful for those gifts and lessons can bring trust and hope into your life in a very powerful way. Plus, seeing these gifts helps us to embrace the positive in every experience we have and use that to maximize our full potential. Because the truth is, life does not happen without some struggle. As much as we’d all like everything to be easy and joyful, sometimes, life is hard. Sometimes we struggle, fail and experience difficulty. But when we look for the gift in each and every lesson, experience and struggle, we begin to create a powerful force of confidence and trust in ourselves and in our ability to handle whatever might come our way. And when that happens, hope in our future grows and we have a deeper knowing that our future can be even better than our present because we are going to do whatever it takes to make it so.  

What do you think? Do you believe there are gifts in every experience? What I have learned for myself, and from nearly three decades of working with clients, is that if you look for the gifts, they are there, and you will in fact find them.  

Most often it is the gift of wisdom that appears. We learn from every mistake, failure, or struggle. And from that wisdom comes the knowledge of knowing how to course correct and win the challenge the next time.  

Other gifts that might come from adversity are learning who you truly are, how resilient and strong you can be. Often you learn what or who is truly important to you. Your virtues and values become clear.

Sometimes, the gift comes not as a result of the difficulty, but the gift is the hardship itself. Such as the gift of a closed door that redirects your path to a better future for you. Or the gift is the reward received as you endure and push through something uncomfortable.

Then of course, let’s not forget the gift of every breath you take. Every morning you get to wake up and live another day is a gift. And that gift of a new day is your opportunity to live your life well. To be your best true you. And to share your gifts with the world.

So today, as you sit down to do your gratitude practice, don’t just look for the beauty and joy in your life. Pause and be grateful for all the gifts you have in your life. See if you can find the golden thread that is woven into every bit of your life’s fabric. Then make it a practice to look for the gifts in the difficult moments as well. You will be surprised at what you find and you’ll be empowered by their beauty.

Here's to seeing and being grateful for hidden gifts…