Incorporate gratitude into your everyday life
As the holidays approach, buzz around gratitude has begun. I love seeing and hearing people talk about what they’re thankful for, what makes them smile, and what and who they’re glad to have in their lives. The holidays are a wonderful time to begin these conversations with yourself and others, so this holiday season, I’m challenging you to move beyond a Thanksgiving-day-only declaration of gratitude. Join me in transforming one-day-only gratitude into a regular gratitude practice with three easy tips:
Make it a morning ritual. As I wrote in my post “5 practices for a healthier, happier morning routine,” I reflect on what I’m thankful for every morning. I keep slips of paper in an envelope in my nightstand and every morning, I write down three things I’m grateful for, ranging from the roof over my head to the snooze button on my alarm. As someone who struggles with constant pain, I often challenge myself to write down something I know I’m not grateful enough for—a less severe migraine than I had yesterday, a flexible job that allows me to miss a day of work when I’m feeling horrible, the means to go to countless doctors—you get the picture. Try out this morning gratitude practice this holiday weekend and you may find you want to continue it daily going forward!
Tell someone why you’re grateful for them. I emphasize the why here because I know I am personally guilty of sending the “Happy Thanksgiving! Insert Thanksgiving-themed emojis” text to my family and friends every year. This year, I’m challenging myself, and you along with me, to tell family and friends why I’m grateful for them. I know the list is miles long, but with the busyness of day-to-day life, I also know I don’t share that list with them often enough, if ever. This year, I’m committed to starting a new Thanksgiving tradition of my own and sharing why I’m grateful for the incredible people I have in my life.
Give to others. To me, there’s nothing that expresses my gratitude more than giving to others. Personally, I like to think about an aspect of my life I’m particularly grateful for and give to my community in a way that gives the same opportunity to others. I am unbelievably thankful for the strong, compassionate women I call my family and friends. I have been raised, supported, and mentored by some of the most incredible women I know and it has undoubtedly made me who I am today. With that in mind, I’m making time this holiday season to help give the gift of female support and mentorship to young girls and women in my community. If you’re looking for the perfect volunteering opportunity for you, check out my blog post, “Find a volunteer opportunity to make an impact in your community.”
There you have it: three ways to move beyond one-day-only gratitude this Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to reflecting on all I’m grateful for, sharing that gratitude with family and friends, and using it as fuel to give to others. How will you engage with gratitude this holiday season to cultivate an “attitude of gratitude?” I stole that line from my middle school teacher—I couldn’t resist! Share your thoughts in the comments below. Happy Thanksgiving!
This is good stuff!