“I’m grateful for being here, for being able to think, for being able to see, for being able to taste, for appreciating love – for knowing that it exists in a world so rife with vulgarity, with brutality and violence, and yet love exists. I’m grateful to know that it exists.” – Maya Angelou
Photo Credit: Cindy Albright
It’s turkey time. That means it’s easy to get caught up in the Black Friday sales and Thanksgiving meal. Sure, we like to shop and eat lots of pumpkin pie like everyone else.
But at the end of the day, we know what matters most…
YOU!
But we’d like to pause for a moment and say
THANKS!
We know the art of gratitude—being thankful for what you have—is a skill that has to be practice.
Scientific studies have shown that being grateful makes you kinder, more social so you are happier, more courteous, less stressed so you get more sleep and helps to increase relationships. In short, many say it almost like a miracle pill. All you have to do is keep doing it.
Now, we aren’t going to get up on some high horse and get all preachy on you.
But as a way of saying thanks, here are a few things that make us happy.
1. A grateful heart is a healthier heart.
According to a 2015 study published by The American Psychological Association, giving thanks for the positive aspects of life can result in improved mental, and ultimately physical health, which can improve outcomes in heart-failure patients.
2. Try a keeping a gratitude journal.
We’re heard that a five-minute a day gratitude journal can have the same impact as doubling your income, by increasing your long-term well-being by more 10 percent.
Don’t believe us?
Check out the scientific citation on happierhuman.com or this 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude story on Forbes.com.
To get started on journaling, here’s a list of 50 great gratitude apps to make it easier.
3. Being grateful is easier than you think.
Peter Bregman, the CEO of a leadership company and the best-selling author of “18 Minutes,” recently wrote an essay, “How Gratitude Can Help Your Career” in the Harvard Business Review.
He says, “You are most probably already living your life in a way that you aspire to. Not all the time, but some of the time.”
His point: remind yourself of what you have already done in the past to help predict the future.
- Who are you in those moments when you are grateful?
- How do you show up? What are you doing?
- How are you behaving with yourself and others?
Go back to those moments of gratitude and bring them into your present, Bregman says. “You’re remembering, not inventing,” he says. “You are already the person you aspire to be.”
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at SHOLDIT!
We are so grateful to have you as part of our BFFs. When you do want to shop, check your email! There'll be a deal you'll be smiling for!
Have a great holiday!