One of the joys of the holiday season is the increased focus on appreciation what people are pleased with and focus on what is good. Thankfulness for blessings, family, memories, successes and more. This increased focus on thankfulness is infectious, inspiring, and delightful.
At any time thankfulness can truly be magical. It tends to make situations change for the better. Positive psychology has proven that choosing the feeling of thankfulness and focusing on what you are thankful for often instantly improves your mood.
Many spiritual systems teach us that thankfulness is so powerful that it attracts more situations, things, people, and outcomes to appreciate. I recently saw a powerful example of consciously choosing to be thankful. A woman had been experiencing health issues that resulted in continual pain and unwanted medication side effects for a few years. After going through a thirty day thankfulness protocol she experienced the following changes: (1) she was able to more fully focus on techniques that reduced the pain, (2) she was able to eliminate the need for medication, and (3) she created happier life experienced due to her shift in mindset. Practicing thankfulness is simple and powerful.
Here are some things to explore. Identify three experiences that happened today that you enjoyed, appreciated, felt good about, or were inspired by. How did you feel after exploring pleasing memories? What if you lived more of your life in that state of appreciate, wonder, and a state of awareness set on looking for things that are good and awesome for you? What if you openly appreciated people that bring you value and joy? What if the heighted spirit of thankfulness became a norm throughout the year for you?
Could you choose to journal and record your personal rampage of thankful each day for a year?