By Melanie Hasty-Grant

Count Your Blessings

With both Thanksgiving and the presidential election this month, I was challenged with whether to write about gratefulness or the election. Then it occurred to me maybe I should write about being grateful that this election cycle is almost over. I know you will be as relieved as I am not to be bombarded with all the negativity and divisiveness, if nothing else!

All kidding aside, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It doesn’t require scrambling around trying to get gifts, or messing with lots of decorations. Its sole focus is gathering with friends and family just to eat and be together. It really creates a space that allows us to truly be grateful.  We have a tradition in our family

where every family member tells specifically all the things they have been grateful for over the last year as we go around the table.  Since we don’t live close, it allows me to hear and understand what has been going on in their lives over the past year.

It occurs to me that with most everyone I deal with, we get caught up in the struggles and challenges of everyday life. And while we give thanks in our prayers each day, we should really spend more time focusing and concentrating on all of our blessings. The small, daily blessings that make our lives so much easier, the daily free and priceless gifts that our relationships bring are really what makes life worth living. After all, the more you focus your attention on the good, the more positive you attract.

The tendency to focus on negativity in the markets, disappointment with how you have managed your money, the lack of disciplined savings, what you wish your investments had done, and many other “if onlys”…abound. If you haven’t been satisfied with your current situation with your investments or your money, then stop focusing on what could have been and start doing something about it. If not, next year you will be sitting here thinking and feeling the same way. My dad used to tell me….If you always do what you’ve always done, you always get what you always got. It’s true. So, count your blessings each and every day. Make decisions to change things that aren’t working for you.

Now, take the next step…. For more information go to www.waterstonewealth.com.

Melanie Hasty-Grant, Managing Principal at Waterstone Private Wealth Management, and Experienced Licensed Professional Counselor. Securities offered through Cetera Advisors Network LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through CWM, LLC a Registered Investment Advisor. Cetera Advisors Network LLC is under separate ownership from any other named entity.