Today's post is on expressing gratitude on the eve of Thanksgiving.   Thanksgiving comes at a time of the year where family come together and really give thanks for the blessings in life.   Lets take it a step further.  I come from a tradition where from a very young age, i was taught that the word "shukhur" or "thank you" was part of my daily prayers.  Something on a subconscious level i have passed on to my son.   The word Thank you is uttered when we pray, and it has stuck to me and stuck within my family too.   So when i moved to this country at the age of 13 and began to take in the american tradition of thanksgiving, i have to admit to myself, it was odd.   Odd not because i didn't find the holiday beautiful, but because giving thanks is something that we do every day. 

Lets take this another step further - the concept of gratitude and what does that do for our spirit - and the shift in "our mindset" when we practice it on a regular basis.  

It is very very possible to get absorbed in our lives - and sometimes we are so stuck in its madness that we can't see past it - practicing gratitude helps us take a step back and really appreciate the simple things that we take for granted -first and foremost the people that are closest to us, that live with us and that work with us.  I've come across so many individuals who get frustrated because they do not feel that the people closest to them appreciate them enough.  Misunderstandings and assumptions occur because of this and resentment begin as a result.  Imagine if we all practiced naming what we are grateful for.  Imagine the possibilities.  And the impact that it could have on others and ourselves.  

There is a saying, so we think, so we become.   Keeping a gratitude journal keeps us in check of our thoughts, and keeps us mindful as to how much of what we think is self-harming, negative, sabotaging - if we practiced the concept of positivity and named those things that keep us alive on a daily basis, imagine the magnitude and the power of that.....

Every day list five things that you are grateful for -and you can do this in creative ways - it doesn't have to be a long 5 page entry.  it can be a notecard  and you could list 5 things that you are grateful for.  

If you are looking for something more creative - you can get a blank notebook and collect pictures/images, quotes, poems that simply remind you of the word gratitude.

You can do a gratitude journal for a whole year - and organize it by month - so that at the end of the year, u can look at all that you can be grateful for. 
Doing research on the different ways to express gratitude - i came across something called the Gratitude Tree - which i found quite creative and also to the point - simple reminders of what we are thankful for.  



A gratitude journal helps keep a positive perspective in our lives.   It allows us to take a step back from our lives that our crazed lives and really appreciate the little things that we often times take for granted.   The act of writing out what we may be grateful for or thankful for puts ourselves in perspective and we can look at ourselves from a hawk's eye view.   In order to move forward to any direction, gratitude is important.    It gives us a higher reason to live, it broadens the purpose of our existence, and makes us enjoy the little things in life.  

The Huffington Post has an article on 12 quotes that reflect the essence of gratitude.   As thanksgiving approaches, take the time to read these quotes.  Each of them is unique and speaks to us the importance of gratitude.
 
Happy Thanksgiving and Thank you for taking the time to read me:)