We are constantly worrying about money, bills, work, health, relationships, mistakes, the past, the future, life, death, and other people, anything out of our control. We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. As we say goodbye to the year 2019 everyone ought with a sincere heart to be grateful for all of 2019 and other past blessings. As shown by studies, bad memories are easier to remember as compared to good ones. You, therefore, need to train your brain to acknowledge positive events, there’s always something to be thankful for.
Gratitude is more than saying ‘thank you’. It’s about acknowledging the value of your experiences, thankfulness requires genuine appreciation. Gratitude promotes optimism and helps us to develop a more positive outlook on life. It allows to us pause for a moment to reflect on something we have in our life right now instead of always striving for more; the next goal, a new job, the next achievement, the new house, the new car, a new relationship.
We should understand that the world owes no man anything therefore, every little blessing we have in our lives is a privilege, not a right and we ought to be thankful.
Why being thankful is good for you
1.It helps you focus on the positive things in your life. Our brain is conditioned to reflect too much on the negative things in our lives and forget the positive ones. Teaching your mind to be grateful always will change that and it will boost your self-esteem.
2. It draws people to you. Nobody wants to be around an ungrateful person. Appreciating those who help you will draw them closer to you as they feel that you appreciate the things they do for you. A simple thank you goes a long way.
3. It helps you sleep better and gives you the energy to face another day. Taking time to be thankful every night helps you to sleep peacefully and look forward to another day.
4. It makes you realize how blessed you are. No matter how little you think of yourself or your life, there is always someone who would give anything to be where you are or have what you have. We always think maybe we should have more but maybe, we have all that we need.
Things we should be thankful for
1. Life
I have lost so many friends and relatives through death. In 2019 I have also witnessed the death of so many people, some public figures, some celebrities, and even some men and women of God. They all had plans for 2020 and probably many years after that but they didn’t get the chance to reach there or fulfill their plans. But you woke up this morning, breathing, with the opportunity to enjoy today, be with family and friends and pursue your dreams. Even reading this, planning for 2020 and even the years after, that alone is more than reason enough to be thankful. Waking up alive today was the greatest gift you ever got.
2. Health
Even if you’re health isn’t great at least you have it, it could be worse. People are dying every day due to various diseases but your immune system is still able to fight diseases, be thankful. Right now someone is in a hospital somewhere, on oxygen, someone is battling cancer, someone has been diagnosed with diabetes and someone has just been involved in an accident. But you are here, probably healthy and supported by any oxygen machines to breathe, you need to be grateful for that.
3. Your body
Be thankful for all the organs of your body some people are disabled but still, they are more grateful than you. Your body is responsive, you can talk and express yourself, you can walk and take yourself wherever you want, you have sight to comprehend all of the world’s beauty, and you can hear. Be thankful for your five senses, not everyone is privileged with that, some people are battling brain diseases
4. Love
A lot of times people spend their time with their partners, husbands or wives, boyfriends or girlfriends, fighting and fault-finding. To the extent that they rarely get time to look at the positives that the other party does or the love that they receive from their partners. It is sad how many people out there are hungry for love, who would give anything to just hear someone tell them, “I love you”. If you have someone who loves you, be grateful for that.
5. Family
Some people have no one to call family. If you have a family that loves and supports you, you ought to be grateful. You have people you can talk to and maybe confide in and people who will be there for you through thick and thin. Be grateful for your parents, and be grateful for your children, you don’t know how many people wish they had that.
6. Friends
I normally like to say family is the friends we are given and friends are the family we make. If you have managed to make friends, be grateful because true friends are rare. A lot of times we take for granted the relationships we have with those around us. Especially friends, we normally think we deserve them and life could not happen in any other way. However that’s not true, someone somewhere is going through depression because they don’t have anyone to call a friend or talk to. So you need to be grateful for the friends you have.
7. Your career and/or business
Sometimes we are so self-involved in our careers and/or businesses. We are always complaining about what’s going wrong. How the business is not making enough money or growing, how we are not earning enough or getting enough rest. But we never take time to stop and think how that business/ career has made it easier for us financially, to provide for us food and shelter and even a little extra to share with our family or friends. That job or business gets you out of the house every day and you don’t spend the whole day sitting on a couch and overthinking. Without it, your life would be a lot worse than it is. Someone somewhere is desperately hoping they can get even a quarter of what you are earning or making in your business so be grateful. Having just a few coins makes you richer than most people on Earth.
8. Having a home
Whether you live in a mansion or a tent, at least you have a roof over your head and a place to call home, you need to be thankful.
9. Nature
How lucky we are to have such beauty of mountains and hills that we can climb, oceans and rivers filled with aquatic life, the moon and the stars that we can watch, the sun to give us warmth, the rain to shower the earth, trees to give us fruits and animals in their diversities. These are things that we can enjoy so much and be merry about, so we should be grateful.
10. Art
Without art, I don’t know how we could be able to describe the beauty of the world and express ourselves. Art in all its facets allows us to express our inner feelings, to be creative, and express who we are and what we stand for.
11. Education
Being literate is not a right, but a gift. If you’re reading this right now, you have a lot to be thankful for.
12. Modern technology
It makes your life a whole lot easier. It provides entertainment, and easier communication with family, relatives, and friends. Helps you search for jobs easily, helps you move from one place to another with so much ease, and helps you perform and complete your tasks with little energy.
13. Living in a peaceful environment
With so many wars and violence in the world, you ought to be grateful that you stay in a peaceful environment where you can even afford the privilege to read a blog post.
14. Challenges
This may sound crazy but challenges are a necessary path for our growth. Nobody goes through life without suffering so be thankful for everything that you went through and overcame. They were life lessons that you went through and they left you more experienced and stronger.
Whatever it takes to be thankful, be thankful for something. Gratitude attracts situations you need in your life to help you progress in many ways. Always look for positivity in every situation no matter how small it may be and be thankful for that. Thanksgiving should not be a once-a-year celebration, but a daily reality and a way of life.
Three steps to everyday gratitude
1. Begin every day with meditation and be thankful for the gift of life
2. Spend every day saying thank you to those who have done something nice for you or helped you in any way, be it cleaning your office, opening the door for you, or saying kind words to you.
3. End each day by writing in your gratitude journal
A gratitude journal is a simple and effective way to create positive memories. Every night before you go to bed, spend a few minutes thinking of all of the things that you were grateful for during that day and write them in your gratitude journal. Instead of fretting about what went wrong or what you did not achieve ask yourself, “What should I be grateful for at this moment”. Once you have identified it then begin your notes like, “Today was a great day because….” No matter how bad your day was, there is always something to be thankful for if you reflect carefully.
A gratitude journal has many benefits;
- It gives you a new perspective on what is important to you.
- It can lower your stress levels
- Journaling can help you feel calmer, especially at night.
- By writing what you are grateful for, you gain clarity — you realize what you want more in your life.
- Your gratitude journal is a journey to increase your self-awareness.
Conclusion
Gratitude should be our everyday reality, don’t wait for Thanksgiving Day only before you can be thankful. Train your brain to always remember the positive. “Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.”
After you have read this, I hope you will begin your gratitude journey. How about you start by thanking everyone who has been of great help to you in the past year? Don’t just write one big all-encompassing message to them, take time to reflect on how each person has impacted your life and personalize your messages to them.
From me to you, “Thank you for taking the time to read my site, Wishing you a prosperous & gratitude-filled new year!!!
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