“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” William Arthur Ward.

This Thursday, it’s the annual Thanksgiving Day holiday in the USA. This is a day when the country takes the time to celebrate the blessings of the year. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and originated as a harvest festival. It has been celebrated nationally on and off since 1789.

On Thanksgiving Day, many people set time aside to give thanks for their blessings along with holding feasts to celebrate a harvest. It’s a reminder to us all whether we reside in the USA or not of the importance of being appreciative and grateful for all that we have and experience in life.

It’s easy for us to take life for granted when we get busy and juggle lots of things. We can easily fall into the trap of focusing on what we lack and dwell on our weaknesses, mistakes and setbacks. This negative spiral can have a detrimental effect on our energy and motivation levels.

We can also engage in the pointless task of comparing our life to that of others. This is never a very smart move as we might compare our weaknesses to someone else’s strengths. Furthermore, when we start something new, we can compare our possible struggle with someone who has more experience, is established and appears to have it easy.

We can get up in the morning and not fully appreciate the gift of a new day. We may not value the fact we have a roof over our head and at a flick of switch electricity appears to illuminate our home. We can turn a tap and instantly have running water to fill a kettle and make ourselves a hot drink before we enjoy a lovely hot shower! I could go on but the point is we get so used to our daily routine and all that is available to us that we can take it all for granted.

When we take the time to be more consciously grateful, life takes on a new perspective. We look at things more positively and we appreciate all that we have. This includes the special people in our life and the opportunities available to us. We feel blessed for the natural gifts and talents that have been bestowed upon us. This has a positive effect on our mood, energy and happiness levels. As a result of this approach we tend to attract new opportunities and possibilities.

Research suggests that being grateful has positive health and well-being benefits. It can also increase happiness levels.

Robert A. Emmons & Michael McCullough are two of the leading scholars on the topic of gratitude and they have researched and written about its power to boost happiness. In one of their studies, they carried out research with 3 experimental groups over a 10-week period. They found that the people who were in the gratitude condition felt fully 25% happier. They were more optimistic about the future, they felt better about their lives and they even did almost 1.5 hours more exercise a week than those in the hassles or events condition.

Martin Seligman is a leading expert on positive psychology and a very successful author. He has looked extensively at the effect and benefits of practising gratitude in his work. He has found that writing down what we are grateful for has the ability to shape our mood positively in lasting ways.

A practice I strongly advocate that you adopt is to establish a gratitude journal. Each day take a few moments to note down 3 things from the day that you are grateful for. I established this as a habit a few years ago and it has a really positive effect. I have found that even on challenging days it’s possible to find 3 things to be grateful for.

Some people have found it helpful to maintain a gratitude jar. This allows them to acknowledge positive events when they happen. They make a note of such events on post it notes/pieces of paper which they put in a jar. They note things like acts of kindness they’ve received, positive feedback, receipt of income, gifts, unexpected windfalls and great customer service. Some people make a note of nice experiences such as days out, time by the sea, fantastic meals etc.

At the end of each year, they take out the notes and read them all. This is an excellent way to acknowledge and appreciate all the things that they’ve been fortunate to experience during the year. This creates a good feeling and is a great way to prepare and look forward to the New Year with positive expectation.

When we’re more deliberate about practising gratitude, we become better equipped to deal with challenges and hassles that inevitably we all face from time to time.

I know that it has been It has been a challenging year for many people given the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic that has affected the world. However, there are always experiences, things and people in our life that we can be grateful for.

Given what has happened in 2020, I believe that it’s more important than ever to take the time to think about everything that we can be grateful for.

It’s never a waste of time or energy to get clear on and appreciate all of life’s blessings.

With this thought in mind, why not take a few moments this week to pause and reflect and consider what you are grateful for in your life.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk