365 days of Thanksgiving

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." -- Meister Eckhart
 
And, I'm not talking about turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie (although that sounds pretty freaking awesome).

I'm talking about being thankful.  Giving thanks.  Every day.  For an entire year.

Earlier this week, I thought to myself, "what better way to start your day off than by focusing on something that is good in your life?"  Some folks I know drag themselves out of bed, after hitting the snooze button at least three times, make their morning coffee and proceed to either read the morning paper or watch the news on television.

Then, they wonder why their day doesn't quite go the way they hoped it would.

Forgive me if you're an avid news watcher.  I don't diss you; I diss your choice of programming (in love, of course).  It's a simple case of "garbage in/garbage out".  What you focus on EXPANDS.  The more you give your attention to something, the more you'll get of that something, whether you want it or not.  If you keep talking about negative subjects, you'll get negativity.  That's one of the laws of the Universe.  It's just the way the system works.

So, how do you turn it around?

I start with the small stuff.  Abraham-Hicks suggests beginning with the things in your life that are already working.  Do you like your car?  Well, start with that.  How about your spouse, best friend, or job?

I know what you're thinking:  My car didn't start this morning, my spouse snores, my best friend talks about me behind my back and let's not even TALK about what my boss did to me the other day.

Then don't say ANYTHING about any of those subjects.  I mean nada, nothing, not a single word.  Didn't your mother ever use the old, "if you have nothing nice to say, than don't say it at all" phrase on you?  Granted, parents can come up with some pretty silly expressions, but that is not one of them.  It is much truer than you can imagine.



There is something, somewhere that is working for you.  Look for it.  Once you find it, emphasize THAT.  Give THAT your undivided attention and focus.  Before you know it, there will be something else that is working for you.  Then another thing...and another...and another...

Pretty soon, you have a veritable PLETHORA of things to appreciate (yeah, that's right, I said "plethora").

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 was New Years Day for me.  It was day one of giving thanks.  I'm on day four and I've already found several areas of my life that bring me happiness and joy.  I am more patient, relaxed, and friendly just by practicing this for less than a week.  I'm excited to see how things will be in the weeks and months to come.

You have 24 hours in each day.  There are so many blessings contained within that time period.  Some of them just require a little digging.  But, they are there.

So grab your shovel and get started!

What are YOU thankful for today?

"If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness.  It will change your life mightily." -- Gerald Good