I often hear: “I don’t like this food.” “I have a lot of homework.” “ I don’t want to clean my room.” “I need new clothes.” “My teacher doesn’t like me.” “My mom didn’t let me go out.” and the list goes on. We teens have so many complaints about life.

Why don’t we ever take a moment to say: “I’m so glad I have enough clothes because there are many people out there that have nothing to protect themselves with.” “ I don’t like this food, but I’m glad I have the choice to pick what I want to eat because other people are dying of starvation.”

What are you thankful for? I bet that even if you’re thankful for a certain person or aspect of your life, you have complained about it at least once. Stop complaining. I am thankful for my mom. Yes I have complained about her so many times, but I should be grateful I have an amazing mother to complain about. Why is it that we always have to complain? I know it’s in our own nature, but we can choose to think differently.
The holidays are coming and we tend to be thankful at this time of the year for what we have. This should not be the only time of the year in which we are thankful for something. We should be thankful the whole year. I bet most of us complain about something every day. If you are reading this, then I challenge you to say thank you at least once a day and to actually mean it.

According to Matt Richardson in the article “4 Reasons Why Gratitude Will Make You Happier” in the Huffingtonpost.com, being thankful affects our state of mind and the way we view things. “Spiritually — It doesn’t matter whether you are a conservative Christian, a mitzvahed Jew, a nature loving Shaman, or a devoted Yogi — no matter what you believe about how it all ends, something in the core of every human being believes that it is important to be thankful while it’s all happening. There is nothing that satisfies the soul quite like a self-reminder that there is always something and someone to be grateful for.”