4 Simple Ways to Make Thanksgiving Gratitude Last All Year Long
Ways to Achieve Lasting Gratitude
There are few things in life that yield as much power as being grateful. Look at a grateful person, and in all probability there stands before you a happy person.
Unfortunately, today's brand of wisdom has handed us the wrong manual on how to pursue happiness. It is a manual that overemphasizes the value of wealth and getting it by all means necessary, it glorifies violence and extols selfishness.
Gratitude can turn ordinary opportunities into blessings, routine jobs into joy, and ordinary days into Thanksgiving. It is gratitude that brings peace to today, makes a cohesive story of our past, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
Most people feel grateful only during special holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year when they gather with family and friends. But you can turn that around and learn to be grateful all the time.
“When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.” – Willie Nelson
1. The greatest key to being grateful is living in the present. This can be done by appreciating the beauty of a sunrise as you head to work, calling a family member just to say hello, or being thankful for the gift of life and health.
2. Taking a bit of time to reflect on your blessings first thing in the morning is a wonderful habit to develop. After you turn off that annoying alarm, counteract the negative sensation of being so unpleasantly roused from your slumber by thinking about all of the things you're grateful for.
3. Spend time with people in need of love and care. Donating to charity is great, but volunteering at the local hospice or teaching disadvantaged kids at your community center is more involving and brings you close to other people's reality on a daily basis. Seeing how others exist happily with less than what you have will help you become more grateful for your abundant life.
4. Write a list of the great things you have in your life on a daily basis. Counting your blessings always reminds you of how blessed you really are. Keep a gratitude journal that is separate from your regular journals.
All of these options will help you put more gratitude in your daily life. Don't wait until the next holiday season to think about how grateful you are for all that you have.
