Perspective to be Grateful

In this era of the Occupy Wall Street campaign, I feel that many people have lost perspective on what they do have. Instead, they tend to focus on what they don't have and then decide to use the world as their sounding board. They forget to listen to the words found in Philippians 4:6, which says, "Do not be anxious about anything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Whatever happened to enjoying the little things in life? Why must we constantly belittle people with our rants that are self-focused? When did you need the best of everything in order to be happy? Our happiness should be within us because we have the Holy Spirit, not found in some material object or in having the most friends. Popularity never works and tends to backfire. As Aristotle once said, "A friend to all is a friend to none."
So instead of dwelling on what you don't have, focus on what you do have. I am thankful for loving parents, my generous brother, a great friendship with my roommate, the cutest kitty ever, an apartment to live in, a car to drive, electronic devices to help me communicate in this digital age, food to eat, clean water for a shower, clothing to wear, the ability to read, my health, blankets to keep me warm, the opportunity to gain a Masters degree in exercise science, the ability to exercise, etc. I'm sure I could go on and on, but then this blog post would turn into a novel. So I challenge you to make note of the blessings in your life instead of the shortcomings and either right them down on a piece of paper for yourself, or feel free to live a list in the comments of this post. I guarantee you will be able to come up with more to be thankful for than things to complain about.