Gratitude

Gratitude

November means the Thanksgiving Holiday; that got me thinking about gratitude.

Thanks, appreciation, gratitude; it’s all the same feeling. But how often do we stop and take inventory of what is right in our lives? I suppose we pay more attention to what we don’t like in an attempt to fix it, but it’s easy to make that focus on the negative a habit, and we can end up ignoring all that is good around us.
How many wonderful things are in you life right now, that you take for granted?
How many people are you grateful for? Do you ever count them, or tell them?

The Thanksgiving dinner practice, of each person announcing the thing they are most grateful for, is an exercise that most of us probably need. Doing that more than once a year would be even better.

Experts on peace of mind and creating abundance recommend the exercise of starting each day making a list of all that you are thankful for. Many of us wake up and start worrying, so the gratitude list is a much more positive way to start the day.

Each day things happen to us that we enjoy and dislike. If gratitude comes from a choice of focus, which do you focus on the most?

I am thankful for my wonderful friends and family. I am thankful for the love and companionship that comes from my 3 cats. I am grateful for my health, and the gift of living in a safe place. I am grateful for all the many things there are in the world to be interested in…

Once I start my list, it seems to just go on and on.

How long is your list? Will you make one?