Each time November rolls around, I like to ask people: why celebrate Thanksgiving just one day a year when you can actively live a thankful life each and every day, all year round? Imagine what that would feel like if you were living and breathing gratitude all the time! It’s so simple to do. Just spread a little thanks each day. And why not start right now?
Creating a Routine
If you begin this week and make this routine your daily habit over the next 6 weeks, you will start the year 2020 and the new decade off in an incredible way. No longer so tired. No longer bored. You’ll no longer be watching from the sidelines as the lives of other people seem to eclipse yours. It truly becomes your turn to shine!
Sounds intriguing right? But you might wonder — what do you have to do to create such a boost of vibrancy in your life? Just send out one hand-written thank you note each morning and your life will transform. The transformation is something you can feel almost immediately, as gratitude seeps into your very essence, starting to create a life that is magical, miraculous and just plain marvelous!
Taking Notice
Here are some of the main things that you’ll begin to notice as you start to write your notes, and as you express your thankfulness all year round. First, you’ll notice a wonderful sense of peace, calm and love flow over you as you sit down to write your thank-you note each morning. You’ll feel the gratitude as you write out your personal message and then you just address the envelope and place a stamp in the corner.
Don’t be surprised if the world looks quite a bit brighter and you feel a lightness in your step as you drop your card in the mailbox. Then, go about your day with that lightness lingering in your heart and radiating out.
The next natural thing that happens is that you become more mindful of your daily activities. You find yourself wanting to stay present and hopeful with each interaction and each action you take. That’s because you will be watching for your next day’s recipient and without fail, you will come in contact with someone doing something nice for you!
Maybe it will be at the store, maybe at work, or perhaps while you’re with family or in the park — it can happen anywhere! It will feel amazing to be present in that moment, and it’s a delightful surprise when you discover the person you will thank the next morning. You make a mental note of their name and address, so you might look at their name tag, and you keep the receipt from the store with the address on it.
Reflecting on Your Day
Then each evening, as you take a few moments to rest and think about your day, it’s a chance for another point of blessing. Consider how the day went. Think about the best thing that happened to you that day. Maybe it was something simple and sweet, but also beautiful and unexpected, like someone dropping off a cupcake to your desk for no reason! Maybe you got a promotion or some flowers or enjoyed a great phone call with a dear friend. Whatever it was, count that beautiful occurrence as your daily miracle. I always like to write down my daily miracles in my journal because it helps me complete the circle and know that I am totally in the flow.
As you proceed within the flow of life, spreading thanks each day, you will soon find that everything becomes easier. Even the daily frustrations don’t seem as upsetting. You realize that things happen for a reason and you handle them much better. Why is it that the person at work who used to drive you nuts doesn’t seem to affect you that way anymore? Why are you calmer in the car when traffic is jammed up? Why do you smile more and look people in the eye when you meet them? All of these things are part of the transformation you’ve set in motion by spreading thanks each and every day.
Transforming Lives
I think you can see now why I love to share this practice with the world, especially this time of year! Giving thanks to other people is one of the most beautiful things you can do so why not make it a habit? And it’s not just you who benefits from it. I firmly believe that as we each transform our own lives, we begin to transform the world around us.
As for me, and many others who spread thanks daily, we have a vision of a kinder and gentler world, and we choose to live in that world on a daily basis. I choose to spread thanks each day and live in the present moment as much as I can. It’s highly liberating!
Why not decide to spread the warmth of thanksgiving all-year-round? There are lots of resources on my website and sample thank you notes within my book. Once you start to get into the flow, feel free to share some of your own observations below and thank you for spreading thanks each and every day!
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