What are you grateful for?
The usual things we hear at Thanksgiving dinner is something like “Family, friends, a good job?” I’m going to ask you to go a bit deeper.
Reflect on this past year, 2017. What has happened in your world? Was there a big event that defined it? Was it a ‘regular’ kind of year, with typical life happenings? Did you take a vacation that was impressive or super fun? Did you meet a new person/people that influenced your life? What happened in your career this past year? Have you embarked on a new career path? Did you pick up a new hobby or activity? How is your health?
Hopefully one of those questions sparked something within you to encourage you to look deeper at where you may find thankfulness.
For me, I attended my 30-year high school reunion. I reconnected with several long-lost friends and even got to know some new ones (I was from a class of 500)! One of these new friendships has grown since this summer. My former classmate and I have found a lot of connection in both our shared childhoods and similar, current life paths. I am very grateful to have gotten to know him and to call him a ‘new’ friend. In each new connection, new experience, we gain an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and the world around us.
So what are you truly thankful for this year? Is it one thing or multiple things and/or people? Has your gratitude for this event or person changed your perception of life or your future? When we acknowledge what we have, we internalize a sense of joy. This joy changes us, for the good. It perpetuates the positive and we begin to see all of what we ‘have’ in our lives versus what we ‘don’t have’… and this is one of the biggest shifts we can make in our attitudes towards ourselves.
With much gratitude for all of my ‘teachers’ in my life.
Namaste.
