November 17th 2017
Here in the United States, we shared a holiday focused on gratitude. We spent time with loved ones, with foods we cherish, and, for many, we spent time giving thanks for the abundance of our lives.
Gratitude brings with it many more benefits than has historically been recognized. We have come to discover in more recent years that gratitude not only helps us to shift our present state so that we can more fully participate with and experience our joys, but that gratitude can also facilitate our greater overall long term experience of happiness.
A Mindful awareness of our experiences with gratitude allows us to reframe what we experience. In doing so, we allow ourselves to both experience exponentially greater gains as well as to more fully immerse ourselves in what we still seek in our lives.
Yet, many people still find themselves focused on the deficits and paucities in their lives when they give thanks. Gratitude, to some, feels hurtful and frustrating – it might necessarily bring on painful reminders of what is still lost or unattainable.
It is precisely in these areas of awareness that we can be even more grateful – these pangs of pain and distress give us many signals as to what we may still need and what we do have that we may have lost sight of. It is gratitude that can allow us to create even more in our lives. Shifting our focus from the awareness of these deficits to the awareness of what we have even embedded within them allows us to receive and to give even more fully.
The following poem elaborates on this principle:
“Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire, If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things. A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive. Find a way to be thankful for your troubles and they can become your blessings.”
Be Thankful – Author Unknown
Please share a comment and let me know what you spent the holiday giving thanks for!
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