“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” —William Arthur Ward
Every day, there are hundreds of reasons to be thankful. You can be thankful for your home, your car, having fresh water, your family, food, your friends, where you live, what you do, etc.
Showing gratitude in your life—whether it’s about the tiniest detail or a dramatic, life-changing event—is key to your future happiness. That’s why, as Thanksgiving quickly approaches, we wanted to take a look at what you can do to be more thankful this season.
It’s all about cultivating a habit of gratefulness that you can take with you all year long for a more positive life.
Thank Others
The first step on any thankfulness journey is learning how to thank others more often. Show your appreciation for those around you who make your life better in big and small ways. When someone opens a door for you, say thank you. When your significant other makes dinner, say thank you. Thank someone who always helps out without being asked. The key is to thank others as often as you can, and see how your perspective of the world changes.
Thank Yourself
You’re a pretty amazing person. Did you know that? We’re always so much harder on ourselves than anyone else. This Thanksgiving season, take a few moments to quiet your inner critic and start thanking yourself for what you do well each and every day. Show gratitude for when you wake up on time, hit the gym, complete a big assignment at work, choose a healthy meal. Every day, we should be proud of our accomplishments, big and small. Start learning how to show gratitude to yourself for everything you experience day-in and day-out.
Choose One Person to Thank Powerfully
Yes, it’s great to thank everyone for all the small things they do every day, but what about those people who go above and beyond and deserve a little more from you? This is your chance to make a big deal out of how grateful you are to someone special in your life. Take a second to write them a letter detailing all the ways you’re grateful to them and how they’ve positively impacted your life. Then, call them up and set up a time when you can go out together and thank them in person. Choose an activity they would love and thank them for all they’ve done with your words and actions.
Read a Book on Gratitude
Sometimes you just need to really go in-depth on what gratitude is and the power it can have to transform your life. That’s why we recommend choosing a few great books that you can read to learn more about being thankful. We recommend A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life by John Kralik, or Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss.
Acknowledge the Negative, Focus on the Positive
Life isn’t always going to turn out as you plan. Things will go wrong. You will be unhappy. Negative things will happen, but you can learn to accept the negative without focusing on it. The key is to acknowledge when things go badly, but to not let those negatives overwhelm you. Instead, focus on the positive outcome. Did you learn something? Did it help your relationship? Could it have been worse? Try to find the good in everything.
This year, make Thanksgiving a time where you place gratitude front-and-center. When you make being thankful a priority in your life, you’ll discover that you’re a happier, better, and more successful person.
Sign Up for a Charity
One of the best ways to be thankful this season is to share what you have with others through charity. Whether you sign up to donate your time at a soup kitchen or you donate money and goods to give to those less fortunate, charity is a great reminder of how blessed you are. As you give to those with less than you have, you’ll be reminded of how many things you have to be grateful for in your life, and you’ll be able to share that gratitude with those who truly need your smile and gifts.