November is usually regarded to as a month to give thanks. It is the month where we stop and take things slow and reflect on the things we’re grateful for. A month that brings everyone together and invites room for self-reflection and the practice of gratitude. As a big advocate for gratitude, I have kept a gratitude journal with me over the years and while looking back at it now, one journal entry from last year stood out to me the most. The entry is a reflection on gratitude and why we should cultivate a sense of thankfulness in our lives. It reads:
Comparison. Whining. Complaining. Endlessly envisioning what the future looks like. We spend our days waiting for better ones, one in which we’re finally happy with what we think will fulfill us.
Guilty, guilty, guilty. Until I take in and acknowledge how minuscule my worries really are. The mere thought of knowing that half the world is starving while the other half is trying to lose weight is overwhelming. The half-eaten meal I just threw away because I wasn’t hungry anymore is something that a child in a third world country would salivate at, at first glance. The way I wish I didn’t live in Miami because I find it too superficial. When homelessness continues to increase at an alarming rate as the years progress. No home, no roof to sleep under. No family to come home to after a hectic day. No shelter when faced under critical weather conditions. The way I continuously complain about how I wish I was thinner when I am fortunate enough to have an abundance of food in my fridge. When others are malnourished and famine remains amongst the leading causes of death. How can I complain? How can we complain? How can we want more when we already have all we need? When what we have is enough, it’s everything. Everything and so much more. My heart aches daily when I realize how ungrateful we all are at times. Real struggle lurks places elsewhere. In the empty stomach of a child who is running only on water. In the heart of a homeless man, watching well dressed individuals on their way to their fancy offices as he reminisces on the time where he was once up on his feet on his way to work until life got difficult and he lost his way somehow. In the heart of the addict who now depends on drugs to get through each day, wishing she’d be a better mother figure for her son. Like these instances and many more, others are fighting a tougher battle. My whining turns into sudden silence when instances like these cross my mind.
In our hearts lie greed and selfishness, keeping us from digging deeper and taking into thought the many other issues that others are facing. Far worse than ours appear to be. It costs us nothing to value life more. To appreciate more. This life is all we have and our time in it is only temporary, so why spend it complaining, wishing we had more, and comparing our journeys to that of others? Picture someone in a hospital bed for a second. Think about how much regret lies in their heart as they wish they had valued their own life more while they were up and healthy. All the people they could have forgiven. All the things they could have done, yet never got the chance to because fear stopped them from doing so. Our days are only passing us by and while we aren’t in control of certain factors, the one thing we are in control of is our attitude and approach to life. Abundance is everywhere, always present and always available. Let us live in a state of Thanksgiving, keeping gratitude dear and close to us. Let us take in all the handful of reasons to be grateful for each and every day. And even on the tough ones, let us be mindful that simply being alive is enough and big enough of a reason to celebrate this life we were given.
Source: Pinterest Source: Pinterest
I thought I would share this entry to encourage you to practice gratitude this season and to remind you that there are always reasons to be grateful and this shouldn’t be just done on Thanksgiving. Research shows that practicing gratitude has various benefits that can help enhance your life. These benefits include; enhancing positive mood, a sense of accomplishment, increase resiliency, increase life satisfaction and self-esteem, decrease depressive symptoms, decrease anxiety symptoms, improve physical and psychological health and help you sleep better. These are just many of the various benefits that come from cultivating a gratitude practice. And practicing gratitude isn’t a difficult task. It is rather a matter of consistency. Think of it as a daily habit and slowly begin incorporating it into your daily routine. You’ll be surprised to find the positive contributions it will make in your life.