A Celebration… A Holiday… And, oh what a purpose it serves… THANKSGIVING.
“The benefits of practicing gratitude are nearly endless. People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they’re thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.” Author Unknown.
If you are looking for one principle in life that can make such a difference in your personal happiness, you’ve just found it! Gratitude.
We have a radar of such in our brain. Once we set that radar on something specific, it seems that our brain constantly searches and identifies what has been preset. Let me give you an example. Have you noticed that when you are shopping for a specific car, you tend to see a lot of them on the road? That’s your radar…When you think that your day is the worst day ever, you constantly identify every little unfortunate thing that come us in the day? Boom… thank you radar. So, during this week of Thanksgiving, let’s set our radar on things that we are grateful for? Are you in?
What are you thankful for in your life? If your list is short, or it took you some time to answer the question, we have work to do. Take a minute and jot down some things that you are thankful for.
Family, friends, people who truly love and care about me, a great job, a warm house, pop tarts =), God, my blog family, my sight, the ever-changing beauty of the sky, clouds, sunshine, the tweet of birds chirping to others how their day is going, grandkids, the chance to help others, new challenges, hard work, adventures, learning, my Harley, great food, on-line shopping, running water, are a few that come to my mind.
Now, take the rest of this week, with your radar set, and actively search for other things that you are grateful for. Try to identify all of the things that you experience frequently, yet take for granite. I can promise you that as you do this, you will be refreshed with a greater knowledge of just how many blessing that you have in your “ordinary” life. You’ll feel positive, satisfied, and fulfilled.
And finally, express that gratitude. If you are fortunate to have someone in your life that does nice things for you, let them know! Be specific with your appreciation. Let them know what a difference they are making, and how much you appreciate their sacrifice.
It starts with today… then this week… then…. why not make this a consistent part of our life…? I’m so grateful for all that I have! Let’s keep that as our focus!
Life Coach 