It’s Thanksgiving and now is the time to turn our thoughts and energy towards gratitude. Thanksgiving has long been deemed a holiday to openly express our appreciation for the things and people that we hold dear in life.
Many people struggle with expressing themselves in this regard, however. It can help for us to capture what we are most thankful for by journaling or asking ourselves some questions to get to the heart of the matter.
Here are a few prompts to start moving us in the right direction. Spend some time contemplating the following questions:
- What brings me the most joy in life?
- Who brings me the most joy in life?
- What do I have that others do not?
- What do I complain about that others would be so happy for?
- What have I overcome in the past year?
- What new opportunities have I gained?
- What do I have to look forward to?
- What and who do I love?
- Where do I get the most energy and support?
- What do I want more of in my life?
- What makes me happy?
- Who can I always count on?
Once you have the answers, you can begin to work on uncovering a way to express your appreciation for the people and things that are most thankful for in your life. This can be done in a variety of ways such as public acknowledgements, small gifts, private conversations, through prayer or meditation, by drafting hand-written notes and more.
It’s also important to normalize gratitude on a regular basis so that we are not just remembering it on Thanksgiving but, instead, engaging with it throughout the entire year. This practice will help us to become more optimistic and push us to notice the positive things happening around us. We can do so by keeping a gratitude journal and making it a best practice to write down what we are most grateful for every day. It will also pay off to continue to express our gratitude to others on a regular basis. The more grateful and thankful we are, the more happiness and blessings we will experience, and those in our lives will feel more acknowledged and loved.
During this Thanksgiving week, I am grateful to all who take the time to read my work (like you) along with the wonderful people and experiences that I’ve been fortunate enough to have in my life! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!