It isn’t half full. It’s full. People don’t realize how lucky they are. Realize is the wrong word. It’s passive and fleeting. As though the important thing were to casually recognize every once in a while that, “Oh yeah, check it out. I guess I’m lucky.”

No. We need more than realization. We need active and consistent recognition. Your glass is full. Take a good long look at all the reasons that is so. Don’t raise objections. If there’s something less than perfect, let it go.

Right now, and every day, take just a minute (or more) to really examine what makes you lucky.

Why?

People who engage in daily gratitude exercises have been shown to:

Exercise more
Feel physically healthier
Have greater life satisfaction
Make more progress toward goals
Offer more help to others
Sleep longer and better

They are more:

Alert
Optimistic
Enthusiastic
Determined
Attentive
Energized

Wow. All those benefits just from spending a little time each day paying attention to what we’re grateful for? That’s pretty lucky.