Write what you are thankful for

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I propose a challenge to you. It is not a challenge of strength or wit, but a challenge of gratitude. With one day of each year singled out for giving thanks, it is easy to focus on what makes you happy. The family surrounding you. The food at the table. The day off of work. And it feels good. It feels great, even. Physically expressing love and gratitude physically makes you feel great, and don’t you want that all year ‘round?

For about two years, I began each day with a list of what I was grateful for. I would spend 15 minutes each morning and log onto my blog and get typing. It started off with 21 things, moved to 49, and some days I’d be in the 60s. Initially, finding even 21 things you are grateful for can be daunting. Some people I’ve discussed this with had difficulty getting seven things on the page. But that’s OK. Shoot for seven things for your first list. Move up from there.

I wrote my gratitude list every day to start my day off in a mindset of love and thankfulness. It turns out that things go better when you start your day on a positive note. It makes writing emails easier, it makes you more mindful of what you say and do, and it makes you happier, which makes you more enjoyable to be around.

It may seem difficult to get started, because you may have concerns like, “What should I be grateful for?” “What if it sounds petty?” “Am I being grateful enough?” The truth is, it’s your list. It’s meant to bring you peace. If you’re grateful for your expensive car and your beautiful home, by all means, put that down. If you’re grateful because there are nursing homes to take care of your ailing grandparents, put that down. If you’re grateful because you had an uneventful (read: no accidents) drive to work, put that down. If you’re grateful for your electricity, toothbrush, couch, shoes, put those down. It doesn’t have to be worldly and grand. It doesn’t have to be unique. It can be the same things each day. It just has to be true to you.

Once you get on a roll, it’s difficult to stop. Sometimes the words can’t come out fast enough to keep up with your brain. If you need some inspiration, start your list with things you’re surrounded by when you write, from the pen in your hand or the computer keyboard beneath your fingers, that allow you to share information. Or think about your meals that you have had or have planned for the day. You are able to purchase that food because of the job you hold, and you can give thanks for your boss, and your coworkers who make your job enjoyable or easier.

The food you eat makes its way to you somehow, whether direct from the farm or through a grocery store where it was likely handled by an employee, the truck driver who brought it to you, the person who harvested the fields for you, then to the sun, rain, dirt, insects, animals, every thing that had a part in the process. Show gratitude for all of those things; because of them, you had food to eat today.

See how my lists got up there into the 60s? I didn’t go this deep every day, but once you get started on one thing, you can see how it continues. Once you are aware of all of the things you are grateful for, you will find more, and more, and more. Your perspective will change on the things you see. Sometimes it can be overwhelming how much gratitude you have that you didn’t even know existed, but it is such a wonderful feeling that you will want to share with others.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I ask that each of you write a gratitude list, if even just as an experiment. What might be fun is to do this at your Thanksgiving dinner with your family. Instead of speaking your gratitude out loud (which can be scary), have everyone write something on a piece of paper, put it in a bowl, and have everyone pick one to read out loud. It breaks the tension of sharing your own gratitude, but opens everyone to sharing theirs.

Wishing you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving, and hoping you may make each day a day of giving thanks.