Thank You.
Gratitude is really one of those things that’s hard for a lot of us to practice in my opinion. We often take so many things for granted that we forget to say thank you, even for the little things. Whether that’s for our mom making us breakfast, somebody holding a door open for us, or simply waking up, we forget that these are things that we should be grateful for. One of the things that has changed my life has been through practicing gratitude. One of the first steps that I took in trying to move away from my depression was actually the simple practice of saying “thank you” more. It’s funny, because as kids that’s one of the things that we’re taught to say when someone does something nice for us. If someone offered a fruit snack or granola bar, we were supposed to say thank you. With being taught to say these words, I feel like we can actually forget what we’re using the words for. Sometimes, saying thank you actually even becomes robotic and we say it without recognizing the meaning behind it. This same thing is true for so many other words and phrases, but “thank you” is the main focus for today. Such a simple phrase yet so much power behind it. Those really are words of acknowledgement and appreciation. I’ve noticed that it actually does make a difference in people’s days when someone says thank you to them. Next time you see a janitor cleaning up the space that you use, make sure to thank them. That’s one person that we often take for granted and they’re doing their best job to keep the space clean and presentable and they don’t really ever get acknowledged for doing so.
Although we can say thank you physically, we can also do so within our own minds. This is where I changed my own life. Whether you are religious or not, you can thank some greater force/being for the things that we have in our lives. For me, I started with writing down things that I was grateful for because it really forced me to think harder about the good things that I had in my life at a time when I only saw the negativity. Writing things down at first was extremely uncomfortable, but it definitely is worth the discomfort. Even writing these blogs are really uncomfortable for me honestly because I let my own thoughts just speak for themselves, sometimes with me not even recognizing what I’m saying and with me being vulnerable in doing so. But discomfort is all part of the growing process and being comfortable with being uncomfortable definitely isn’t a bad thing. Sitting down and thinking about what I was grateful for at a time when I was bitter was uncomfortable, but with where I am today, it was worth the discomfort. One of my personal practices in writing things down was by trying to think about both small and big things in my daily life that I was thankful for. For example, on a particular day I might have acknowledged the rain drops on the window or the warmth of my bed when waking up. Another day I might have acknowledged someone in my life. There are different levels of things that we can be thankful for, it’s just a matter of realizing that they are there and being mindful about it. Sometimes, simply taking some time to breathe and think about things at a micro and macro level for what we’re thankful for really does make a huge difference. Being mindful about your breath and being thankful for that can be enough as you begin to realize just how precious life really is and how lucky we are to even be living and breathing.
Today, I challenge you to not only be thankful today but also for the rest of the year and going forward. I know that we typically wait until the first day of the new year to start doing something new, but why not start today if we’re given the opportunity to? Today, tell the people that you care about that you love them and tell them why you’re thankful for them. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Sit down with your thoughts today and write them down or think about them. Think about what you’re grateful for and maybe even about the things you’ve taken for granted. The clothes on your back, the food on your table, the air in your lungs. The education you receive, the things you achieve. There really is so much to be grateful for, including YOURSELF. Don’t forget to give yourself credit for the things that you do. We all have an amazing opportunity to go through life. Why not contribute and add positivity to the world and your own mind with two simple words? Thank you.
- Jsquared