Gratitude is the topic each Thursday on this blog, because I believe it is important to express thanks for what we have. According to HealthBeat (2019), a product of the Harvard Medical School, Gratitude will make you happier.
If you look at most folks, they are always pursuing more. We can lay credit for this at the feet of the advertisers and marketers who blast our email boxes, fill up our social media, and bombard us with advertisement after advertisement while we watch our favorite sports team. Subsequently, we work harder, to make more money, to buy more stuff, which cause us to go into debt, and work harder, and so on. They tell us we don’t have a big enough home, a newer car, nicer clothes, expensive trips, and a cooler phone. They don’t do this directly. They show us a family enjoying themselves in front of a large-screen TV or walk out of their home to see two brand new cars sitting in the driveway with big ribbons on them. You see how this works?
Gratitude counters this social pressure, but acknowledging we have all we need. We have a roof over our head, food to eat, and a reliable piece of transportation to get us where we need to go. This allows us to preserve our capital because we aren’t spending ourselves into oblivion.
As we approach the holiday season, cultivate your gratitude for all you have, not what you do not have. It is a great way to live life. Here are a few ways you can grow your sense of gratitude in the upcoming months. To start out, just pick one
- Write a thank-you note to one person each month
- Thank someone mentally if you lack the time to write
- Keep a gratitude journal expressing your thanks and appreciation for other people in your life or something you enjoy
- Count your blessings
- Pray (if you are religious)
- Meditate
I dedicate a day each week to discuss gratitude. How to build it, how I do things to build my gratitude state, or express my gratitude for the things in my life.
If you’d like to read more, the article I used for this posting is below.
Thanks for your attention. If you use another technique or if there’s something you are particularly grateful for, feel free to drop me a note in the comments.
Until next time…
Dave
Reference
Healthbeat. (2019). Giving thanks can make you happier. Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/giving-thanks-can-make-you-happier
