An Inventory of Blessings

Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe:

The first thing that Robinson Crusoe did when he found himself on a deserted island was to make out a list. On one side of the list he wrote down all his problems. On the other side of the list he wrote down all of his blessings.

On one side he wrote: I do not have any clothes. On the other side he wrote: But it's warm and I don't really need any.
On one side he wrote: All of the provisions were lost. On the other side he wrote: But there's plenty of fresh fruit and water on the island.
And on down the list he went.

In this fashion he discovered that for every negative aspect about his situation, there was a positive aspect, something to be thankful for.