As Thanksgiving festivities come to a close, my heart (and stomach) are full. After a weekend filled with tons of delicious food, beautiful fall weather, and quality time spent with loved ones, there’s a whole lot to be grateful for.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, my Instagram feed was flooded with posts expressing similar sentiments to mine. Among the typical pumpkin patch and apple orchard photos, my friends and family shared who or what they were grateful for in their lives. Seeing these posts got me thinking – why should gratitude be acknowledged on just one weekend? How can we incorporate gratitude into our lives no matter what time of year it is?
Gratitude really is a magical practice. It allows us to step back and consider just how lucky we truly are. Even when things don’t seem to be going our way, we can always turn back to gratitude to remind us of the good in our lives. Gratitude is powerful – it can completely transform our outlook on a situation and change a negative into a positive.
By thinking about gratitude this way, we can take it from something that is acknowledged routinely, once a year, to a tool that can be used in our everyday lives. By rooting ourselves in gratitude we can live happier, more fulfilled lives. Ultimately, gratitude should be practiced well beyond Thanksgiving, because there is always something to be grateful for.
As the next days, weeks and months go by, I encourage you to actively choose gratitude. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, take time out of each day to think about, talk about or write about what you’re grateful for in your life. No matter how big or how small, there is always an opportunity for gratitude.
Gratitude doesn’t have to be saved for a single holiday. It is something that can and should be practiced year-round. Don’t be afraid to grasp hold of the opportunity to be grateful and see the incredible impact that this can have on your life and the lives of those around you.