March 31st - Sugar

March 31st
I am grateful for the wonderful creation called sugar. Yes, it may be something addictive to eat and add to our food, AND HERE IS WHY!

I confess to being a sweet tooth and struggle turning away sugary foods like chocolate, cakes, many desserts and even adding sugar to my coffee. In a way it is kind of like a drug. But I am grateful that it helps enhance a sweet flavour to many foods I eat and like.

I am grateful that it helps give me energy to burn off throughout the day, sometimes helping to keep me awake at times, or give me that spurt of energy at times when I feel lethargic.

All these instances are great and I do show gratitude towards the benefits of sugar, but also remember to not overdo it and make sugar take over, sending you into a bad mood, or become hyper.

March 30th - Banks

March 30th
I am grateful to banks for helping me with my life financially.

I am grateful that I am able to create an account with them where I am able to store my money safely, which I have either earned through work, won as a prize or inherited. Which ever way that I have gained money, they are able to give me the peace of mind to store it safely, rather than me having it and constantly thinking and wondering if it is safe in where ever I have hid it or stored it in my house or where ever.

I am grateful that they are able to help me automatically put money in my account when I get paid, saving me the trouble of doing it myself.

I am grateful that I am able to get credit cards which help to purchase items or get me out of a situation when I don't have any money or credit in my account. Without being abusive to this offer, this has helped me massively, and believe it is fair to pay back, as I know and heard of many people saying the banks are vultures wanting their money.

I am grateful that banks, which ever bank it is, are able to help me get through tricky financial times, offering to help me and assist me with managing my money and investments.

March 29th - Days off

March 29th
I am grateful for the days I have off from work. As much as I love working (no sarcasm, I actually do like my job), I am so grateful for the days that I am not rostered on.

I am grateful that I have a day to catch up on study, work around the house, relaxation, body and stress recovery and unwind, ready for work the next day, or for my next shift.

I am also grateful that my work is run in this sort of fashion. To me, its their way of taking care of me, for me to feel fresh and ready to help them out with their work.

March 28th - Cooking at home

March 28th
I am grateful for cooking at home with my wife. It's the simple things in life that I feel most grateful for.

I am grateful that I am able to spend this time with her while creating meals at home, sometime being inventive and trying different concoctions of ingredients in different recipes to give our own spin on regular meals.

I am grateful that this is a point of conversation with my wife as well as others interested in cooking and enjoying the food afterwards, sometime critiquing what was created.

I am grateful that this is a chance to be creative and enjoy my time doing this and enjoying the company I have.

March 27th - The Cold Weather

March 27th
I am grateful for the cold weather. Although it is harder to get out of bed in the morning to face the chilly air, I am able to eliminate the cold weather and feel of the cold.

I am grateful that due to cold weather, I am able to do activities and exercise to warm my body up, and therefore not allow the cold weather to effect me.

I am able to warm up by having hot drinks, and hot food. I find during the colder weather, I appreciate and enjoy food more, especially when it is soup season.

Unlike the hot weather, I am able to escape the cold weather by putting on more clothes or eat and drink hot food and drinks, but in the hot weather, it is difficult to escape.

March 26th - Mirrors

March 26th
I am grateful for the use of mirrors. I am grateful that I am able to see a reflection of myself, to see perfections or imperfection of my face or body, to see what clothes look like on me from a different view or even look behind me or in a different perspective.

For me, I am grateful that I am able to look at myself in the mirror and know this is how I look now, the real thing and not an image I have in my mind, whether I like it or not. And it brings me back to earth if anything. I am able to get my won view of what I am like, rather than from someone else's point of view. And if it is what I like seeing, that is all that matters.

March 25th - Phone Calls

March 25th
I am grateful that I am able to make phone calls to family and friends easily, so I can catch up with them, discuss problems and issues and even organise life in the near future.

In particular, I am grateful that I am able to make a phone call to my sister who lives interstate and chat to her for hours about all sorts of topics. I am even able to make a phone call to her when I miss talking to her. For this I am very grateful.

March 24th - Rainy weather

March 24th
I am grateful for rainy weather. As a person who likes the outdoors, this allows me to rest and relax for the day or moment in doors. I am able to listen to the rain outside while reading a book, meditating or relaxing. Its the simple things in life that de-stress me.

Plus, I am also grateful that the rain waters my plants without my water bill going up. It's a simple thing but a great help in the long run. It is also a free car wash for my car.

It is these things which I have noticed lately (while doing my 365 blogs) that I wouldn't have noticed or ignored before.

March 23rd - Memrise

March 23th
I am grateful for the mobile app and on-line program called Memrise. This is an educational program that gives me the tool and motivation to learn from a vast range of topics, such as international languages, music, general knowledge or trivia questions, the human anatomy, food etc,. The list of topics is huge.

I am currently learning beginner French, Auslan (Australian Sign Language), Music theories, and the Human skeleton and muscles.

This app and on-line program is easy to understand and get use to, and is quite motivational and encouraging. Each word you learn and understand is in fact a flow. You first start off planting the seed (planting the word in your mind), and each time you review the word and show that you understand what it means and is refereed to, your flower slowly grows (the word is growing in your mind), and once the program feels you know and understand the word, you flower has fully grown (the word is registered in your mind).

This has kept me keep to learn more and more each day and also refreshed my mind on words or phrases. I find I am understanding more, and not getting bored. I am grateful the the knowledge this program has given me, which I can use in my everyday life.

March 22nd - The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

March 22nd
I am grateful for a book I have read called 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People'. This book was the beginning of my life changing from a dim and hopeless place to a world of possibilities and positivity.

This has help me to think differently about my life and all the situation that occur, or as it mentioned in the book, paradigm shifting. It has taught me how to be proactive, how to succeed in tasks that I have to complete, having a win / win mindset to dominate all I do, whether big or small and getting myself into a positive frame of mind with no return into past habits or negativity.

It has taught me that listening is understanding the message from other, rather than just the words being spoken. It has taught the importance of this, for the process of succeeding and moving forward.

All in all, this book has helped me to not be fearful of succeeding, but to avoid self destruction, procrastination and being stagnant in life, giving me understanding quotes and stories to help me understand the rewards and consequences of moving forward and not moving forward.

I am absolutely grateful for this book, as I said before, it has changed my life. It was a slap in the face and a great wake up call that was well needed. It has made me avoid laziness, how to detect the danger zones in life and work either around them or to steer away form them when possible.

March 21st - Weekends

March 21st
I am grateful for weekends. This gives me a chance to unwind after a full week of work, even though sometime I will be working on weekends. But there is just the sense of relaxation and low stress when you talk about the weekend.

I am grateful that I am able to spend time with my wife, friends and family during this time, and catch up on many things and see many people. I am able to get out of the routine of schedules and early mornings.

I am grateful to have a time to look forward to where I can relax, unwind and enjoy life that little bit more, not meaning to say I cannot do this during the weekdays, but I'm sure everyone has the sense of joy and happiness when they know its the weekend.

March 20th - Calendars

March 20th
I am grateful for Calendars. This is an item I use quite often to keep track of the date obviously, but also to note down if I have appointments on certain date, or even birthday of close friends and family members.

Without my calendar I would be the most organised and forgetful person. So this is an item which I am grateful to have, as it prevents me from getting in trouble with people or having to be constantly reminded of events coming up.

I am also grateful that some calendars have motivational and inspiring quotes and messages attached on either the top or bottom of the calendar, helping you to get through the day, week or month if you are in a stressful or unpleasant situation.

March 19th - Festivals and fairs

March 19th
I am grateful for festivals and fairs that occur throughout the years for different occasions. These are great occasions to catch up with friends, try out different food and drinks, or learn about historical stories, cultures or societies that are working today and in the past.

I am grateful for the organisation that organise and produced these festivals. They allow me to learn about things which I wouldn't have known about, whether its stimulating my taste buds or giving me information. It is useful information which I can take home and use in my everyday life, or when I need to have that information for just out of the blue.

March 18th - Gratefulness from others

March 18th
I am grateful for the gratefulness from people I come across during the day.

I am grateful for the people I work with who say thank you, a sincere thank you for helping them, whether it was asked of you or out of your own free will to help them, for this I am grateful to receive this.

I am grateful for the times managers or team leaders thank me for being on their floor and lending a hand, even though you hadn't worked along side them through out the whole day, I am grateful that my work had not gone un-noticed.

I am grateful for the residents that say thank you for the help I have given them, either shaking my hand, giving me a hug, sometimes even offering chocolates for me. This makes my day, as it is a sign that my presence and assistance has not gone un noticed.

I, in return, will give thanks and show gratitude to my colleagues and fellow staff members for giving me a hand and helping me throughout the day, even showing gratitude at the end of the day for even asking me how its going half way through the day. These little gestured keep me going during the day.

For people who don't think that are given the thanks or gratitude for their hard work and efforts from their work, it hasn't gone un noticed. We tend to turn a blind eye to it. For example, if you feel your boss gives you work and walks away from you and doesn't bother talking to you for the rest of the day. Or doesn't verbally say 'Thank you' to you, he or she is actually showing their gratitude, in the form of your wages. Remember (or look at it this way), your pay is a privilege/  'a gift' from your boss or company. Don't think of it as an 'I.O.U' or something you deserve, they give you the money from their company or their efforts to say thank you for the week or fortnight that you have put in to help them. They are grateful to have you as apart of their company.

March 17th - Death

March 17th
I am grateful for death. This is for deaths of friends and relatives, and myself. I know I have not died yet but with a peaceful frame of mind, death is a good thing. Yes, it is also a very sad thing to happen in life, but what is life without death, we all have to face it one day.

I am grateful for death as it is one end to suffering. Some people die from illnesses and is a relief to the body and soul as they both don't have to face the pain and suffering any more.

I am grateful for death as it is the end of a story, and it gives us all a chance to revisit that story and remember the good times, and even learn lessons from them. If you think of death in a positive way, it is not a tragic end, but a story that continues in you.

Please don't get me wrong, I do feel very sad that I won't physically be able to sit with the deceased friend or relative and ask how things are going, but I am able to remember them, learn and understand their life and even pick up the good traits they have from their examples while they lived, enriching the life we have on this earth. And for this I am grateful for each and everyone of you through life and death.

March 16th - Opportunities in my life

March 16th
I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given in life regarding work or good fortune. It may be fate or being in the right place at the right time, or it could be someone giving you a nudge in the back and pushing you forward. For all these situations I am grateful they have occurred in my life so far.

I am grateful for the opportunities I have been given regarding work. I am grateful for receiving a job after an application and interview, but I am also grateful for receiving the opportunity to be interviewed for the job. The same goes for auditions and casting calls regarding my acting side to life, I am grateful that certain production companies have requested me to audition or attend a casting call for a commercial or role in a show.

I am grateful that my family and friends have put my name in or advised someone of a job or participation in an activity, giving me the opportunity to become part of a group, production, class or team of some sort.

There are far too many opportunities to name in this blog that I am extremely grateful for, and far too many people who help give me these opportunities in life and helped me learn and grow as a person.

March 15th - Honesty

March 15th
I am grateful for the honesty of people and listening to honest statements, even if they aren't exactly what I would like to hear. This says to me that the person is genuinely looking out for me and wanting the best for my welfare, telling me of the good in situations or in myself, and telling me of where I am lacking and know I have it in me to improve.

I am grateful when people are honest with themselves as well, and not seeing themselves as second best, or think they are not good, talking themselves down and believing lies that they tell themselves. Or even believe the lies of other.

I am grateful when friends, family and colleagues inform me of situation that have occurred without stretching the truth and adding in their opinion, making it look like the descriptive reality of a situation.

I believe honesty show great and attractive character.

March 14th - Medication and drugs

March 14th
I am grateful for medication and LEGAL drugs, like panadol and other pain relievers.

I am grateful that I am able to take them to make me feel better when I am sick, to improve my immunity system to fight off infections my body, relieve muscle pain, headaches or body diseases and get me back on my feet after being sick in bed or at home.

I am grateful that specific medication are easy to get after seeing the doctor and getting a prescription and help you get better, targeting the illness in your body.

March 13th - Random Acts of kindness

March 13th
I am grateful for receiving random acts of kindness. This happens quite often in my day but am quite often unaware or not awake to it. This can be random acts of kindness from myself or from others.

I am grateful for the little things such as someone opening a door for me if they see me coming into a building, or if they are in front of me entering or leaving a building, holding it open for me to go through as well. Another example is it they noticed I dropped something or left an item behind at a counter of a shopping centre, they would run after me to return it back.

Some bigger examples would be if I had a flat tyre on the side of the road and someone stops to lend a hand. I am absolutely grateful for people if they go out of their way to give me a hand, whether it be big or small.

I am grateful for the random acts of kindness when friends especially notice that I may not be in the best of moods, or that things aren't going my way and struggling with life at that point in time, they will do what they can to make life much easier or clearer for meto life. I am very grateful for those moments and acts of kindness.

March 12th - Time

March 12
I am grateful for time. I am grateful to have the amount of time I have been given within the day. I am grateful for the time I have been given in my life so far.

I have been someone who has procrastinated and wasted time in my past and now when I looking back, time was and is so precious. I have realised that you will never get it back and I must remember to live every moment, every second of it doing the best I can.

Even at times I have failed, it is not a waste of time because I used it towards sometime useful and positive in your life and have used that time to learn. So in the end, time hasn't been lost or wasted.

Using the time I have been given, I am able to build myself up, learn about myself and my talents and be creative and productive towards the better good to the world. With this mindset, I can have time on my hands when I use it wisely. I am grateful for my past time and grateful for the time I have now, because I will never know if I will have any time in the future.

March 11th - Genuine smiles

March 11th
I am grateful for people who greet my with a genuine smile. This tells me they are grateful and happy to see me. This shows me genuinely that they are appreciative of my presence. If this isn't the general case to others, this is how a genuine smile and greeting makes me feel.

I also believe that this makes a person more physically attractive. This says to me that the person is a positive person and they have a positive outlook to the situation they are in, as well as showing their mentality for the morning.

I am grateful that I come across many people who meet and greet me with a genuine smile, and will give one back in return. This helps me wake up to the morning, gives me a bit more energy to go and become more positive about the day or where I am if I am not in a good frame of mind at that time.

March 10th - The Rosary

March 10th
I am grateful for the rosary. The rosary are set of beads which Catholics use to pray. With it, you are able to count a recitation of the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be prayers. During this recitation, you meditate and think about the 'mysteries' of the rosary, which are biblical storied which are dedicated to each decade of the rosary.

There are five decades or mysteries of the rosary, one decade consists of one 'Our Father', ten 'Hail Mary's' and one 'Glory Be'.

I am grateful that I am able to pray the rosary as this helps me reflect on my religion, the stories of the bible and help me recognise, understand and/ or remind me of how I can live my life more fruitfully and faithfully, being more positive.

I am able to pray the rosary during times when I feel upset or going through a difficult time, helping me relax, even if it is for that little while, forgetting about my problems if possible, or if it does come to me, finding a way of resolving it and clear my mind.

I am grateful that this helps me in my life, sometimes challenging me and getting me to think about life, examining my conscience and whether I'm living it to the best that I can. During my meditation and prayers of the rosary, I am able to find gratitude in other aspects of my life and feeling happy that I have them.

March 9th - My name

March 9th
I am grateful for my name. When I was younger I really disliked my name, thinking is was different, un-original and weird. I used to get picked on, being called all sorts of names that rhymed with it.

But as I have grown older, I have found I am grateful to have a name such as mine, and able to call it my own, still knowing it is different and un-original, which is what makes it so unique.

I am grateful that I am able to make a name for myself and be clearly identified by others on my achievements and accomplishments, not being another John Smith who may blend in with the rest of society or find it hard by others to tell which John Smith it is who accomplished that specific great work.

I am grateful for both my first and last name, as I said before, I am able to be recognised clearly by others, by doing great things in the world, making my name well known to others. I may not be known around the world, or maybe I will, but at least I'll be known to my friends, family and locals for who I am and what I do.

March 8th - Nana Naps

March 8th
I am grateful for nana naps. Yeah I know some people think its lame and a sign of laziness but this is a great way for me to refresh myself half way through the day.

I may not have the physically hardest job compared to others, but I have found after finishing off a shift, I will go home and have a sleep for around 15 mins or half an hour. After I wake up (which I find still hard to do straight away) I feel I have more energy to go keep being active and being productive around the house, or even exercise without over doing it and getting sick.

I am grateful that I have the time to have a nana nap and grateful for the benefits it gives me through out the day when I need it.

March 7th - Public ovals and grounds

March 7th
I am grateful for public ovals and sports grounds open to for the public to use when there isn't a sporting even occurring.

I am grateful that I and many others use these facilities for exercise, sports and recreation at any time that it is open. I am able to run laps of the oval for exercise, and while I am doing that I see groups of friends and family members getting together and playing soccer at one part of the ground, and at the other end another group of friends playing kick to kick with their footy (AFL). And on another ground, a group playing a game of cricket. I even join in with other strangers doing laps of the oval, sometimes seeing them do push ups and sit ups in a corner, not game enough to do that yet.

I am grateful that I am able to watch and enjoy a local game of cricket and football during their seasons, And I am grateful that these sport men and women are able to use the grounds to play for their town or suburb in competitions.

I am grateful that I am able to use these facilities for free and enjoy playing sports or do fitness exercises when I like, and having the change to play specific sports for the local team or town.

March 6th - My Alarm clock

March 6th
I am grateful for my alarm clock. I am grateful that this device is able to wake me up in the morning or at any time during the day really, especially when I have work or important meetings to go to, ensuring I am not late or sleep in late.

I am grateful that I am able to have a nap in the afternoon and set my alarm clock to wake me up after 15 mins, half and hour, an hour or more if I really wanted to.

I am grateful that it has woken me up at stupid o'clock sometimes when I have had to start work early and would have never woken up at that time.

I am grateful that my alarm clock has helped me get up and be productive in the morning and helped me to help others out.

March 5th - My ability to talk

March 5th
I am grateful that I am able to talk and be verbal. Some may not be grateful that this is the case but I sure am.

I am grateful that I am able to verbalise what is on my mind, telling people my thought, views, ideas, wants, needs with the ease of a few words, sentences or paragraphs.

I am also grateful that I am able to verbalise messages for people who aren't able to speak or verbalise due to specific disabilities or conditions they have obtained.

I am grateful for the gift of speech and use it to my advantage to communicate effectively to others, being able to produce work successfully in a team environment, as welle as passing on messages to others with ease when needed. I am able to read out loud storied to children, messages and letter to friends and family and have the ability to speak to the public, whether it is for a theatre performance, being a host at a dance or formal function or leading a group within a charity or cause.

March 4th - Sunlight

March 4th
I am grateful for sunlight. I am grateful that it is able to warm me up during the colder days (yeah, it's possible), especially during the times when I am outdoors. I am grateful that it is able to naturally and subtly wake me up when I sleep in during my days off.

In some ways it is like a relaxant for me, allowing me to daydream outside, using it in some ways as a form of meditation.

I am able to let the sunlight into the house, instead of using electricity, which saves me money. Can't complain about that.

I am grateful that this is a natural source of energy that myself and other look forward to experiencing, sometime not satisfied enough when there is a limited amount of sunlight, but I am grateful for any amount of it and look forward to spending as much of my time outside in the sunlight.

March 3rd - Motivational videos

March 3rd
I am grateful for motivational videos which I find on the internet via either Facebook or YouTube. I have come across several of these during my internet using years and have only recently been interested and frequently viewing them to gain inspiration and motivation in my life.

I am grateful that these videos re-energise my mind into thinking that I can overcome obstacles in life and tell my mind that I can do it and to not think negatively or become lazy. These videos are able to speak to me, having the ability to think of past situations where I have failed and rise above that failure to succeed.

I am grateful that these videos speak truths, not providing false hope. They give me real life examples from famous actors, politician, scientist and /or sports players who quote how they succeeded from failures. They tell me how to overcome from failure and how you can feel glorious, not for other people to see, but for yourself. They say stories of how they struggled and how they were able to break down that wall or barrier that was in their way of success.

I am grateful that these videos are helping me to be better that I had ever expected, motivating me to keep going, teaching me lessons, allowing me to think of possibilities toward success. This was very much needed in my life and absolutely grateful that I have found these videos.

March 2nd - The haters

March 2nd
I am grateful for the haters in my life. These people are the ones who bully me, harass me, try to take me down, laugh at me and my ideas, sabotage me...anything that a hater does to try and bring someone down. I always thought that these people were in my past, but I was wrong, they still exist in my life, and I am grateful that they still exist in my life.

I am grateful that they exist in my life as they clarify two things about myself. One, that they see some good in me and two, that I am strong and smart enough to separate myself from their games and taunts.

I am grateful that when there are people like that in my life, they feel threatened, I don't mean for them to feel this way at all, but this in fact helps me clarify that I'm on a path to doing something great. Or that I have something great that they don't want me to have, and therefore try to make me feel guilty in another form to sabotage it or break it, or try to make me believe there are negative flaws in what I am doing.

This helps me build my character, not for others but for myself, and I feel great when I realise that I have something good, or have done something great and fought against the odd and those who thought I couldn't do it or have it.

March 1st - Sunday Mass

March 1
I am grateful for Sunday Mass. I am grateful that I am given the opportunity to gather into a community which follow the same beliefs I do. I am grateful for the lessons I learn during the Homily; or the sermon which the priest gives to the congregation (the people or members at church).

I am grateful that these lessons help me understand how the stories and lessons in the bible can relate and strengthen my life today. I am grateful that the Priest explains and simplifies the Bible passages, giving us the deeper meaning to what may sound like a cryptic message or confusing statements, and telling us how these passages or stories can help us personally, and if necessary, give us the knowledge to help others out who are in need of help, making mine and others life more fulfilling.

I am grateful that I am able to take some time to get myself together, practice prayer and inner peace at Mass, allowing me to go out of the church doors more vibrant, refreshed and peaceful with myself and with those around me.

I am grateful to experience the body and blood of Christ and witness the sacrifices of the bread and wine during the Eucharistic prayers at the Altar. I find a sense of peace during this time.

I am grateful that I am able to do this every Sunday, and if possible also during the weekdays, where I am able to learn about the sacrifices, lessons and example of Jesus and how I can live those examples in today's world and be more positive.