Gratitude

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

I woke up this morning and made a mental list of everything that I’m thankful for in my life. Of course topping the list were my family and friends, my ability to provide for myself, and the abundance of nice things in my life. But I also thought about the things that annoy me or cause me distress. Should I be thankful for those as well? Should I be thankful for my day job, which while mind-numbingly irritating, allows me the cashflow to follow my true passions? Should I thank the ridiculous bosses and managers I’ve had in the past for teaching me patience and how to deal with difficult people? Or how about the toxic friends I’ve had who have my pushed the limits of my friendship to its boundaries? Well I say:

‘YES’ I should definitely be thankful for those things and you should too.

The crappy things we go through in our lives help us learn important characteristics about ourselves. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they deal with difficult situations. And thinking about how the crappy situation benefits you can actually make it much more bearable. So this Thanksgiving, give thanks to everything in your life – both the good and the not-so-good. It may help put things in perspective.

Have a Beautiful Thanksgiving! (or for my non-American readers Have a Beautiful Thursday!)

Nailah

Recommended Homework – Want to keep the gratitude flowing throughout the whole year? Begin keeping a Gratitude Journal which can keep track of everything in your life that you are thankful for. Not into journaling? Make a mental list each morning when you wake up. Either way it will help frame your day in a more positive light and might help keep the ‘Why Me’s’ in check!