The root of our disease is self-centeredness. This leads to feelings of entitlement;  "I need" and "I deserve". It also leads to resentment when we don't get what we want, and then bitterness, pain and disconnect from G-d.

To start recovering, we need to begin changing our inside feelings and living with an attitude of gratitude. The following easy exercise helps us develop this mentality.

Each morning as you begin your day, write down 10 things you are grateful for in a special notebook (or file on the computer), or on this thread.

I am grateful to you Hashem, for:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Please limit all responses to nothing but your daily lists.

1. Sleeping through the night (newborn baby...)
2. Allowing me tyo complete my chores
3. Making today a productive day
4. Teaching me how to carve a קולמוס
5. Chearing-up my wife this afternoon
6. For such a beutifull appt.
7. Suporting me untill I find a job
8. Re-aranging the neurons in my wifes brain, to allow her to be סובל an addict husband, and understand me
9. providing me 2 nutritios meals (food has been realy shvach lately)
10. Giving me tommorow to grow more (asuming I don't die in my sleep)

I know it works, it's all emes.  The hard part seems to be keeping it up, but I guess that's the avodah and the nisayon.  Yasher Koach!

Yes, but ONLY for 1 day.......at a time!

1. Saving my wife a trip to the hospital last night, this would have reaked havoc to my health, thank you so much Hashem!
2. my wife letting me catch-up on sleep this afternoon, without waking me to burp the baby, thnxs to her too.
3. hashem for getting me a psak lekulah from the rav
4. allowing me the oppertunity to make some money at home, in the few crzy hours I have available, and not yet finding me a full-job.
5. My mother for non-stop buying the baby clothing.
6. my MIL for allowing us a 20 hour break from the baby.
7. My sponsor for keeping -up with me, even if i'm lazy about it myself.


A&W moment: Riding an intercity bus today, the frum driver came to a total stop to let a lady cross the street. he could have ignored her, and it would have been faster for both her and the bus. but his thoughtfukllness shocked me to the core, and got me thinking WHY? After all this minur nice act, as impractical as I veiwed it, will be forgotten in 30 seconds? Then I realised that it is these small things that build a person, these little STORIES that they say at the hespeidim of tzaddikim. This is what counts in shamayim, we are part of a greater demention, a vast world of significance. Every action I do, counts for as much as his little stop.....      that's as far as I thought about it.

1. For keeping my wife healthy today, and my baby quiet too.
2. Granting me some free time to clear my mind
3. Giving me a productive morning
4. keeping me away from porn this last week+, I am getting a life, not back rather anew

Preface: I thanked hashem for the ability to hold my urine, life would be much more complicated without that...
1. For helping us cover costs at tonights sale, and allowing me to give maaser
2. For supporting me financialy even though I do little about it myself
3. For actually refunding my online purchase from China
4. For making the kumzits plan happen
5. For making my wife smile

1. The kumzits really happening
2. The Rosh Yeshiva for giving me his time -really squished me in-
3. My sister-in-law for helping clean the house, i don't have the strengh for it (mono/CMV)
4. י"ט כסלב for cancelling tachnun in the shteibel,  :-\ I said the same thing, but  :-X.
5. Hashem for aranging me a cheaper international calling plan
6. hashem for making me a better sofer than yesterday (just practising still)
7. hahsem for not accepting my job application, to an online medical billing company
8. my wife for making me cookies
9. Someone in the community for cooking us food
10. my mother for buying non-stop baby cloths
11. M.G. for volenteering to find me chavrusahs, short sedarim that I have the strength for

Shmiras, I'm following your story. Watching you pull yourself up off the bottom, and working to keep a positive attitude, while recovering from CMV. Someone close to me had it a couple of years ago, and I know how drained and exhausted it can make you feel.

Refuah Sheleima, and KUTGW!!!

Gevura!

1. this thread
2. it's winter: not hot and sweaty summer
3. coffee with cinammon
4. my back, neck, are knees not hurting (think about when they do...)
5. finding that my wife bought me a treat that she knows i like
6. my son being the cutest (IMHO) kid this side of the Rocky Mountains
7. my car works
8. i have enough cash in my pocket to pay the cleaning help
9. my (close family member) is not as unhealthy as it seemed originally

Nice start Zemmy, you found 3 things you are truly gratefull for.

1. My wife chearing up last night, I realy upset and hurt her  (PS I did the chearing up)
2. My mother for supporting me, I didn't have any hatzlacha making money for today
3. Hahsem for the oppertinity chanukah will provide me to live A&W, for 8 nights.
4. My wife for overlooking my bad davening roster, as blatant as it is
5. My wife for letting me spend some time this morning on GYE
6. My sponsor for checking in with me... because I ignored him, despite being in RID
7. The Y. family for preparing me luch, and my wife for cooking the leftovers that will serve me as supper
8. My wife for folding the laundry, as hard asn it was for her. (i realy don't enjoy doing it)

1. The internet for being optional
2. hashem for the vast world he created, offline.

3. Guard for tafsik

1. GYE
2. A perfectly functioning body
3. I'm feeling better (I was sick)
4. Being Jewish and frum
5. My brain
6. The gift of Teshuvah
7. Letting me wake up this morning
8. My lovimg family
9. Chanukah
10. Music

It may be better to really meditate about each item, rather than making list of items.  You could make a list of reasons for each item.  What about your brain are you thankful for?  Why are you thankful not to be sick?  I think a deeper pondering of fewer items will go farther than a laundry list of items without too much thought.

My 2 cents.  I'm thankful that I still have 2 cents .