More blessings to count than the number of things we own. A simple acknowledgment and a grateful heart can change your life.
Sitting at the table reciting a prayer of thanks, you could sense the excitement amongst the family for the starting flag to be waved and notifying everyone it is time to dig in. It is interrupted by the request to go around the room one by one sharing what each person is grateful for. The list starts with family, good health, a great school year, and food…can we dig in now?
Thanksgiving in Canada is the second Monday in October and in the United States it is the fourth Thursday in November. It is recognized as a day to give thanks for all we have. You don’t have to wait for the one day of the year to come around to practice being grateful. Being grateful for the abundance in your life can be a daily practice and set the tone for your day.
Write down 3 things you are grateful for daily.
In a YouTube Video posted by the Greater Good Science Center called “The Power of Gratitude”, Dr. Robert Emmons, Professor of Psychology at UC Davis, explains how gratitude has the ability to heal, energize, and change our lives. It can help heal past hurts and give hope and inspiration for the future. Gratitude has the power to shift the focus of your mind to what you currently have and not on what you are lacking.
Focus on what you currently have.
Gratitude can ignite awareness. In John Kralik’s book, 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life, he shares a story of his first written thank you note to his son. He was thanking his son for his Christmas present of single-cup coffeemaker. In writing out specifically what he was grateful for he came to the realization of how he had closed himself off from his son and how little he knew about his life. He knew that his relationship with his son needed to change, and he took intentional action moving forward. Kralik states “I will say that writing thank-you notes is a good thing to do and it makes me a better man. More than success or material achievement, this is what I sought.”
Be specific about what you are grateful for and how it has made your life better.
Gratitude can transform relationships and build people up to the way you see them and not necessarily how they see themselves. After all, we can be our own worst critics. Dr. Martin Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment, talks about how one of his students suggested having a “Gratitude Night” where a part of the class brought a guest who had never properly been thanked a wine and cheese function. The guest did not know the purpose of the gathering until each student took time to specifically thank the guest, they had brought to the function with a one-page testimonial. Guess what happened? Givers, receivers, and bystanders were all crying – they were touched by humanity. Seligman suggests that the reader select someone in their lives to thank by writing up a testimonial and having a face-to-face eye-to-eye sharing of what that individual has brought to their lives. If you take up the challenge, take time to reminisce about specific events – what did you notice about how this person showed up? How did you feel around them? How did that event impact you?
It is never too late to thank someone; it could change their lives and most importantly yours.
We tend to live our lives like we are going to live forever yet we all know that our forever is a variable. You may be waiting for the right time to thank someone, or you wished you could thank someone for the impact they had on you. Waiting is a fleeting game. As the saying goes, “There is no time like the present.”
“The things we do when we expect our lives to continue are naturally and properly different than the things we might do if we expected them to end abruptly.”
– Daniel Gilbert, Stumbling on Happiness
As you head to your Thanksgiving festivities, take time to reflect on the richness in your life, count your blessings, and focus on those who have impacted your life and deserve your thanks.
By Debra Kasowski – a speaker, writer, and author who is passionate about gratitude, happiness, and helping others live meaningful and fulfilling lives.