Being Thankful

Leading on from having a positive mental attitude (PMA) and removing negative mental attitudes (NMA), I would like to ask you one simple question.

What are you thankful for?

This is not necessarily about what you are grateful for.  We are grateful for being alive to start with! I want you to consider what you are truly thankful for today. Asking yourself or other this question definitely brings about a sense of gratitude.  However, it can also acknowledge an emotion or feeling, a physical asset, a thing, an animal, food, human or spiritual being.

Your PMA or NMA will play a large role in determining the answer. If you are thankful, it will generally be focussed on something outside of yourself.  To verbalise how you feel about what you have in your life can make a huge difference to your attitude.

So, be mindful of what you have today, write down one, two or even five things that you are thankful for, and then give thanks on a regular basis.  Say it aloud, tell someone you love, share a smile and reframe a negative situation into a positive one.

The next time you find yourself complaining about life’s hassles, flip your attitude and take away a positive from the situation.  For example, rather than getting upset about missing the bus home, slow down, breathe and consider the positive.  You might have some time to make a phone call, send an email or just sit and watch the world go by!

Being thankful each day makes us feel valued by others and expressing thanks verbally enhances enthusiasm, kindness and boosts positive thinking.  Study after study has shown that gratitude is linked to wellbeing and that the expression of thanks has positive effects that radiate outwards.  Remember that being thankful and having a sense of gratitude has no downsides, no side effects, no risk and yet most of us do not give thanks nearly as often as we could.

Therefore, what are you thankful for and how will you express gratitude tomorrow?