As we transition into November most of us have Thanksgiving on the mind. We all have visions of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and time with our family. For some of us, when we sit down at the table we go around and say what we are thankful for this year. Common answers are health, happiness, or family. But when you stop to think about all the things that you are thankful for, there can almost seem like too many to count, or for some, that there are no reasons at all. I wanted to take a moment to touch on the importance of being thankful and how having gratitude can better your life.
How many of us feel grateful every day? My guess is not too many. It is so easy to feel ungrateful and focus on all the things we do not have. In fact, focusing on things that we don’t have is ingrained into our everyday culture. Everywhere we turn, it seems like people are reminding us of the things that we don’t have.
But what if we changed our focus? How could having gratitude, even in the worst of times, change our lives? Here are a few reasons gratitude might change your life.
Gratitude Changes Your Attitude
Being thankful for all things and people in your life can help shift your focus from negative to positive. You will start to see the positive in even the most negative of situations. Try writing down everything you are grateful for. This will help make these items more concrete and less abstract.
Being Thankful Helps Reduce Fear
When you are thankful for everything you have in life, including your problems, fear has little place to live in your mind. When you focus on all the things that you do have, your fears of scarcity, like not having enough money or time, will dissipate and you will start to live in a state of abundance.
Gratitude Gives You Peace of Mind
When you live with certain expectations or longing for things you feel you can’t have, you live in a place of unrest. Seeing the best in your situation and focusing on what you do have can help put your mind at ease.
In honor of Thanksgiving we will be using the hashtag #ThankfulThursday each Thursday of the month to remind ourselves what we have to be grateful for this year. Use this hashtag or comment on our posts to let us know what you are Thankful for not just this month, but all year long! Also, download our Be Infinitely Grateful desktop backdrop for a daily reminder to be thankful.
