Giving Thanks
The traditional day of thanksgiving is a spectacular idea. Lots of food, games and family gatherings. Oh, and we get to say thanks. The spectacle is what ramps up the gratitude. It’s not as impressive to give thanks for meatloaf followed by whatever is next on Netflix night. But meatloaf night is pretty special and maybe that is where to look first for more gratitude. We know when to give thanks when we are told to give thanks. But giving thanks more often is more beneficial. And giving thanks is virtually free. Every time I sit down to write my blog, I am super thankful for you.
Easy Gratitude
Having gratitude is the best way to start and end a day. Let me make it super easy for you to remember how. For the next week, commit to saying the words thank and you whenever your feet hit the floor. When you are brushing your teeth, think thank you thank you. When you grab that cup of coffee or hit the showers, say thank you loudly. Each different way and time reinforces the habit of being grateful and reminds your brain of what a thoughtful person you are. Every time you go to the bathroom all day should be a time to give thanks. Think about it, what is worse than not being able to go to the bathroom? As the commercials say, enjoy the go. At the end of the day, instead of replaying all the yucky stuff that you were not thankful for, replay the times you were thankful. Bring a smile to your own face.
Gratitude all day long
Now let’s take this ritual to the next level. Reminding yourself of the absolute best part of your life helps to center your process. It does not require a lot of list-writing unless that is your thing. It does not require you to be thankful for the stuff that is irritating. It just needs to be automatic enough in your day to spark a quick thanks. Think about the times that you already say thank you and ramp those up. Tell that barista that they are super or fabulous or marvelous or whatever word you want to identify with you. They will feel special, you will continue to feed your gratitude meter and others will hear what you are doing and get some thoughts. Your ability to be a more gracious human being creates a ripple effect. Soon, all the cashiers and car parkers and hosts and childcare workers who are giving their service to you will start to feel a little uplifted. We all need that. We were missing that for a long time. In gratitude, it’s time to make up for that.
What are you most thankful for in your life? Can you adopt a simple process to ramp up your overall gratitude perspective knowing that it will benefit you and others? Are you thankful for yourself?
