Happy Chinese New Year, I learned last week that Korean's wish someone Happy New Year by saying 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo), which translates to - Please receive lots of blessings in the New Year. No matter our current circumstances, we are all blessed in many ways. But, unfortunately, if you are anything like me, it's far too easy to take blessings for granted and even easier to forget how those blessings came to be.

Step 1: Think of one simple thing you are genuinely grateful for. Some examples may include a cup or glass of your favorite beverage, a long hot bath, or a fan that provides a cool breeze on a hot day. 

Step 4: Keep going. Draw out some other steps that come before. For example, someone connected my house to the city water supply > people dug the trenches and laid the pipes for my neighborhood > many people from all sorts of trades built and run the water plant that keeps the water supply flowing > many people from all over the state built and maintain the canals that direct the water from the rivers > the clouds produced the rain and snow that fills the rivers.

Step 5: Dive deeper. Take another pass below each step of what came before. For example, someone had to manufacture the fixtures before the plumber could install them, mine or make the raw materials before they could be made, and so on.

Working visually helps connect ideas.

This simple visual exercise will quickly illuminate our interbeing-ness and how the efforts of others have blessed us. This is just the tip of the iceberg. You'll notice in step 4 when I drew out the steps that came before I landed on nature. If you go back far enough you'll see we are all connected to each other and the planet. Billions of people spend their days and nights keeping the wheels of modern life turning. Their hard work and dedication are a blessing to us all. So the next time you turn the tap or make a cup of tea, or turn on your favorite smart device pause and give thanks for everything that made it possible.