On this day of thanks giving, who or what are you most grateful for?
Do you struggle to find things in your life to be grateful for?
We all have so much goodness and joy in our lives, but we so often lose sight of these things with all else that goes on.
If you were to just pause and reflect on all the things which are already working well in your life, you will realise that actually most of it is really good!
It is amazing how the small number of challenges in our life masks all the wonderful people and things that are in our life that we can be grateful for.
Let us pause and reflect on who and what these are:-
1. Family – our loved ones such as parents, siblings, partner, children, cousins. Usually they will always be there for you, no matter what.
2. Friends – the people who enrich our life with their quirky nature, fads and weird habits – but yet will do anything for you.
3. Teachers and mentors – the many people who have shown us the right way and helped us on our journey.
4. Neighbours – those who live around us and who add richness and variety to our neighbourhood and also look out for us.
5. Children – our own children, nephews, nieces or even younger siblings who all remind us what it is like to be childlike, to be fully in the moment and to live without a care in the world.
6. Communities – we all belong to numerous local, national and worldwide communities which define what we do and what we believe in.
7. Interests and hobbies – those things that give meaning and value to our life and many moments of joy
8. Animals – constant reminder of the sacred nature of life and how we are all interconnected. Of course pets also give us another outlet for our need to nurture.
9. Nature – an endlessly awe inspiring symphony of colours, sights, sounds, smells and spectacles, from the prettiest flowers to the brightest stars. Getting close to nature surely must be the best thing we can do and something to be eternally grateful for.
10. Life experiences – those moments of sheer ecstasy and joy which make it all worthwhile and balance out our times of crushing pain.
11. Faculties and feelings – our human senses which not only allow us to fully experience the world in its total beauty but also the greatest and ultimately only true feeling – love.
12. Grace and faith – whether or not you believe in a god or a higher power of some form, it can be reassuring to know that there is something majestic and magical in charge of the universe.
Which leaves us with just one more person to be grateful for – the one who is by far the most important in your life.
You!
On this thanks giving day, I invite you to be most grateful for who you are and everything about you.
No matter what “negative” things are going on in the world around you, know that there is so much more beauty, love, gallantry and kindness in you.
Whatever hardships you may face, there are no bounds to the depth and capacity of your human spirit, hard as life may seem at times.
You are capable of so much more and yet you are enough just the way you are.
“Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power but in character and goodness. People are just people and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with basic goodness.” – Anne Frank
Whatever your journey has been to date, the best of you is here today and everyday.
So on this thanksgiving day, be selfish and take some time out to truly appreciate yourself and be grateful for who you truly are.
Yes, it is okay to be selfish, even on thanksgiving day!
It is not even about being selfish – you are simpliy appreciating and acknowledging the most important person who has lived in your lifetime:-)
Be sure to do something special today just for you.
Finally, I have written five very special thanksgiving articles.
I invite you to read them all soon and apply whatever ideas that resonate with you:-
Thanksgiving Week Lesson 1 – How To Embrace What You Already Have
Thanksgiving Week Lesson 2 – How To Let Yourself Give and Receive
Thanksgiving Week Lesson 3 – How To Add a Little Sizzle to Your Relationships
Thanksgiving Week Lesson 4 – How To Harvest the Wisdom from My Top Blogger Friends
Thanksgiving Week Lesson 5 – How to Serve Others at the Global Table
Happy thanks giving day everyone – today and everyday!
Happy Thanksgiving, Arvind. Nice article to remind about the “you” part, which people generally tend to forget.
Happy thanks giving to you too Ashok bhai:-)
As you say, we all tend to forget ourselves when it comes to being grateful.
Arvind, thank you for this post. As a mother, we are always thankful for our children. We forget to be thankful for ourselves. Which means we may not be as appreciated as we deserve. Which, really, isn’t good for the kids, to learn to take their mothers for granted. Being thankful for yourself enables so much more thankfulness for everything else.
Great point LPC – the moment you are grateful for yourself and show appreciation for who you are, others also follow suit.
It is very easy to allow others to take you for granted – and the key for breaking out of this pattern is to appreciate yourself more.
Time to be selfish in the nicest possible way:-)
Arvind,
Giving thanks to others and taking time for yourself are both important. Thanks for reminding.
I like you 4 other thanksgiving articles as well. Very thoughtful!
Zengirl, so often we forget to thanks ourselves or we simply put our needs last. This comes our conditioning and lack of self-esteem and self-worth.
But unless you give yourself your best, you are not able to give much to others.
Arvind,
Well said. I actually took this advice, and did something just for myself for 30 minutes and it made a me more efficient and energetic. Thanks.
Zengirl, that’s great! Now do the same thing for yourself, EVERY day:-)
Man you are such a positive guy 🙂 Great to have you as a friend.
Thanks buddy – great to meet you online and in person a few hours later!
Look forward to seeing you on the 18th.
Arvind, I enjoyed reading your article on Thanksgiving but moreso the 4 lessons at the end. I do wish that there were more people who thought like you. People tend to be self-centred.. It is all those little things that count rather than just one big thing. We do not need to wait for ‘Thanksgiving Day’ to be grateful for all that we have and take for granted. We should realize this every day and every day we should try and do something to help someone, be positive and considerate.
Thank you for writing these points so clearly. We all can learn from these.
Thansks Anne.
Always remember that every little thing of appreciation, gratefulness and thanksgiving matters and makes a difference at the end of the day:-)
I actually find that selfishness can be very virtuous, especially if we are honest with ourselves. I think that we bury our real wonder frequently but that when we are honest with ourselves, these points of thankfulness start coming out.
Justin, as they say if you can’t save yourself how can you save anyone else!?
So be selfish in the nicest possible way:-)