I know I’m not the only one who gets excited each year when Thanksgiving rolls around. There’s something special about gathering with our families and friends to enjoy a meal and reflect on everything we have to be grateful for.
But as we all know, that excitement doesn’t always last for very long. And way too often, the spirit of thankfulness that comes with the holiday fades away too. That’s not good!
We might not always be filled with the holiday spirit, but we can choose to be thankful at any time. And it’s really important for us to make that choice because we miss out on a ton of amazing things when we let that attitude of gratitude slip away.
It’s easy to focus on the negatives in life. We are bombarded with them. Even though there are far more positive events that occur around the world, the news chooses to focus on disasters. It’s much easier to correct a mistake than to praise a good job. We are not negative by nature. Our environment, our culture and our upbringing influence how we view our world.
Feeling thankful helps you feel more satisfied with your life and less anxious. Shifting your attention from what can go wrong to what is going right helps you feel better.
Being thankful starts with waking up every morning and Thanking God for another day. The Bible is full of passages on gratitude and thankfulness—commands, parables, prayers, you name it. You know what that tells me? Thankfulness is really important to God. When we actively practice gratefulness, we become more of who God wants us to be. Plus, we get to connect with Him through our prayers of gratitude.
We all like to be around thankful people. Do you like hanging out with people who are ungrateful and entitled? Nope, I didn’t think so. But my guess is you love spending time with people who are grateful and down-to-earth because people like that are super pleasant to be around. Guess what? You can be one of those people when you practice thankfulness. When you’re a thankful person, others will see you in a positive light and want to be around you. Be someone others want to be around, not someone others avoid because of your ungratefulness.
My mother always told my brothers and I, it’s not what you have in life, it’s who you have in life. Be grateful for the relationships you have with amazing people. One of the greatest things you will ever have in your life is relationships. The older I get, the smaller my circle becomes. I don’t mean that in a negative way, but I am realizing the importance of being around people who lift me out and are grateful for the little things. How can you be thankful for the little things? Practice gratitude. Make note of the things for which you are grateful: your breath, your beating heart, the particular shade of the sky at dusk or dawn, colors, the gifts and strengths you have, other people in your life, the ability to laugh.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, be thankful, be grateful. Here’s the bottom line: We all have a lot of things to be thankful for in our lives, and that includes you! Whether it’s something simple like your favorite T-shirt or something bigger like a career you’re passionate about, I know you have plenty to be grateful for. Happy Thanksgiving.
