Gratitude over Thanksgiving
I had a strange notion of what gratitude was. Whenever I thought of gratitude I remembered my mom yelling at me during my teens that I didn’t appreciate anything. Carrying that forward I missed the point of what gratitude was. I got it mixed up with feeling guilty that I had things. Fast forwarding to today what I have noticed about gratitude is that it is more about you then anything else.
When you look around and notice what is working in your life you are having a paradigm shift. Try thinking “my life is amazing because______ “and fill in the blank. What you will find is not only do you feel happier but you will also notice what you did in your world where you got it right. Gratitude is actually a confidence booster.
I know a lot of people say keep a gratitude journal but that doesn’t work for me. I journal for a few days and then I stop. Since that doesn’t work I looked for a time in my day where I could think about it or meditate on it. I know a lot of people will say I don’t have any time in the day. I agree it does feel that way but I found a good time to do it. When I am walking to the subway headed for work I am not always in the best mood and that includes being on the subway in rush hour. This is when I do a gratitude list in my mind.
Sometimes it is hard so I go for simple things. I THINK ABOUT A PERSON I LOVE TO START. Then I dig in and think of the basics in life (for me that is a hot shower) then I try for something more abstract. Of course there are times when I DON’T WANT TO DO IT. But over the years I have learned that you don’t always have to want to do something to get it done. And in the end I am grateful for having done it.
And it has changed my perspective on being in rush hour. Instead of feeling irritated that I haven’t had coffee and the subway is crowded my mind is on what feels good and right about my life. So give this a try it may surprise you.