Not More Grateful
 This Thanksgiving

Note: This challenging, encouraging and inspiring story is by Michael Angier of SuccessNet.org. He sent it to me on the day before Thanksgiving, 2018. I hope it will be as helpful to you as it is to me.

....we will be celebrating Thanksgiving--my favorite holiday. But I won’t be any more grateful on Thanksgiving than I am on any other day. Maybe a little more focused on gratefulness but not really any more grateful.

You see, I PRACTICE gratefulness EVERY day. And I didn’t do it only when my life was as great as it is now. I did it when I was broke, divorced, bankrupt and unclear about what to do or where to Because I’m a firm believer that when you appreciate what you have, you will have even more to appreciate.

When I was down and out with no money and few prospects (more than once), I was grateful I had a place to live, had never been imprisoned, brutalized or had a life-threatening disease. I focused on the good things I had.

Today, as my life is better than it’s ever been, I practice a daily ritual. I call it doing my gratefuls and I incorporate it into my routine. 

I encourage you to do the same. If you pray, include it in your prayers If you exercise, think about the things for which you have to be grateful while you are exercising. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. And in doing so you grow a grateful heart. Your gratefulness becomes part of you.

If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, I wish you a happy one. Hopefully you are celebrating with family and friends. And even if you’re not celebrating, practice gratefulness anyway. Making gratefulness part of your nature will make you healthier. You’ll have less worry. You’ll be less bothered by those things that could irritate or upset you. And you’ll be happier, I promise you.