Monday, February 18, 2013

On Expressing Gratitude


I am thankful for…

What’s a quick effective way to change your perspective and put a smile on your face?  Give thanks.  Feel gratitude.  Count your blessings. 

You can make a list of things:
I am thankful for my parents.
I am thankful for my friend Judy.
I am thankful for my job.

Or you can choose one thing you are thankful for and delve into it:

  I am thankful for my backyard.  I love to watch the way the sunlight moves and changes throughout the seasons.  Each year I notice more birds and butterflies as I add more plants to attract them.  Today I saw many spiders dodging to and fro in the grass while I weeded near the arbor.  I am thankful for these spiders who eat bothersome insects and who delight and entertain my two cats.  

I could keep going.  Just by writing this I have a smile on my face thinking about my backyard and all the joy to be found there. 

  That is the beauty of gratitude.  Start with one thing and it leads to another.  Tell your friend how lucky you feel to have her in your life and suddenly you both are smiling.  Think of the delicious meal you had with your family and how good it felt to share with them.  Remember the kind gesture that your co-worker made last week when she offered to help you with the project you were struggling with.  Thinking, writing, and verbalizing what you are thankful for are lovely ways to bring more appreciation into your life. 

  The act of expressing gratitude fits in perfectly with journal writing and positive affirmations.  A journal is an appropriate place to document what you feel grateful for and many positive affirmations include awareness of what you DO have.  Some examples are:

~I am thankful for all the love in my life.
~I am thankful for my friendly neighbors.
~I am thankful for my job that inspires me to keep on learning.

  In each of these examples, you may not be completely satisfied in that area of your life, but by saying thanks you can start to acknowledge that there IS good to be found.  You may have one not-so-nice neighbor yet all of the others have been nothing but kind.  In noticing this, the fact that you struggle in your dealings with only one of many, that one becomes less important to you.  In fact, by expressing gratitude you may come to see that the not-so-nice neighbor just needs a little more kindness from you.

What are YOU thankful for?

No comments:

Post a Comment