Thank You! Gracias! Merci! Grazie! Arigato! Danke!

No matter what language you speak, saying “thank you” is considered good manners and being polite. As parents, we try to instill these words in our children’s heads from an early age.

As grown-ups, we know how important these words are in recognizing someone else. But can being thankful for what we have lead to a better attitude? Can it change our mindset? Makes us more positive? Make us happier?

If we start mindfully thinking about the blessings we have in our life at this very moment, it can help us to realize how much we really have.

Unfortunately, the negative thoughts come quicker…if only I had more money…I wish I was thinner…look at that perfect family…why can’t I have ______________(fill in the blank)…his car is better than mine…their house is bigger…he has more money…

I am sure the influence of social media and the instant technology we have at our disposal does not help the situation. We are bombarded with images, videos, ads, products of people “having it all”, whatever that means.

Everyone interprets that differently. What is important to me might not be important to you and visa versa.

Here is a variety of ways to be more grateful. They may be things that you have heard of before or they may be new ideas to you.

Even though it is a little before New Year’s Day when the usual resolutions come around, it is the season of Thanksgiving, so I feel, for me, it is a good time to start paying more attention to it.

I figure it could not hurt, right?

1. Thank You Journal: This is simply a way to be more aware of the blessings we have beside us every day. In a notebook, or even online, write down each day what you are grateful for. Just waking up each day is a blessing that not everyone gets. Even if you did this every morning and wrote down what you were grateful for each day, you would be able to write something down if you really think about what we already have.
2. Meditation: There are many apps and websites for meditation these days that are readily available. Being able to quiet our minds and block out the outside world is very difficult. To just “be” even for five minutes can be a huge achievement. A suggestion is to start with a few minutes and work your way up to five minutes and then more if you are so inclined.

*I was using an app on my iPad when my students were in their specials time (gym, music, etc.) to relax. It was a guided meditation that had a calming voice leading me to relax and de-stress.

3. Prayer: I know this is not for everyone but if you have a higher power in your life, use it. I do this at night, before going to sleep, and it helps me recount the people in my life that I am thankful for. As the day ends, it helps me to think back and ask for blessings for my loved ones (family and friends). Also, I am thankful for another day.
4. Morning Affirmations: Some people think of these as mantras also. It is like giving yourself a pep talk each morning to start off your day on a positive note. There are many out there but make yours relate to you in your journey.

*If you google “morning affirmations” or “morning mantras” many sites come up as well as You Tube videos. There is no shortage of these, and you do not even have to write your own, but you might find that works better for you also.

5. Mindfulness: The idea of being aware of what is happening at the present time. Again, there are many sites online for mindfulness with affirmations, meditations, and quotes.

There are other ways to think and say “Thank You” in our daily lives. Research suggests that having a positive attitude can enhance our lives. Thinking about what we have already and being thankful for it can lead to more positivity.

I have been trying to be more aware of the blessings I have. I could look at others and compare and complain about what is lacking in comparison to others. But that would not get me anywhere closer to my goals.

I am working on putting good out in the universe. Call it positivity or karma, it does not matter, it is the idea.  I hope when I do these little things that it will come back to me in a good way.

I may not be able to donate a lot of money right now while I am not working full-time, but I was able to participate in my church’s Thanksgiving basket collection donating jars of peanut butter, cereal and macaroni and cheese. I bought these items when they were on sale in advance.

When I was teaching full-time and my school had a food drive every year, I would explain to my students how each person just donating one can of food adds up. It is the same idea with giving even $1.00 towards a charity. If everyone did it, the money would add up to a lot.

We cannot control everything that happens in our lives. Some days are going to suck. Things will happen at times, but it is our reaction to events that we can control.

That is not to say we walk around with fake smiles on our faces, espousing quotes of love and light, and never getting bothered by things. That would be denying our feelings too. We must acknowledge them, assess them, react to them and then move on.

It is a process and we are all “works in progress”.

We aim to be better, in our lives, in our relationships with others and ourselves.

What about you? Have you done something like this already? How did it work out? Do you feel more positive, lighter, happier, content? Let me know what you think of this idea.