Happy Thanksgiving!! Having the Bad-ass Attitude of Gratitude!

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It’s Thanksgiving today.. so are you wondering what am I grateful for? Well the Sales of course! Though if I take a moment to think, I’m the sort of person who walks into a store “on Sale” and directly hits the “New Arrivals”. My husband tends to act like the angel on my left shoulder, nudging me towards the “Sale” items, not with much success. So, I wonder why these damn sales excite me so much!

Anyways, jokes apart, 2020 has proved to be quite a challenging year, fueled with anxiety and uncertainty. Research suggests that Gratitude is a powerful method of increasing happiness and well being… and isn’t that something that’s been evading us this year? While it may seem difficult, I truly believe we should take a moment Today to be thankful for the things we have, however small or insignificant.

Even successful entrepreneurs, authors, and innovators like Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson and others consciously practice gratitude 5 mins daily. More appealing now?

Now gratitude is easy when things are going well, however it’s in those dark, hopeless moments that it truly shows its compelling benefit. My friend Suruchi Shah (life coach, counsellor, art therapist) recently put up a wonderful quote – ‘life is an echo’, similar to what we believe in Indian ethos – karma. If we show positivity and thankfulness for even the smallest of moments, life will send back more. Boomerang effect.

Practicing gratitude is not easy, it’s a habit and all new habits are difficult to inculcate. Well try it, you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

So how do you practice it?

  • Journaling gratitude:

Take out 5mins in a day to write down everything that you are grateful for. It was one of the first things I started practicing when I was diagnosed with cancer. Initially I could not think of more than 3 things I was grateful for. Life had just thrown me a “why me” moment.. I had nothing to be grateful for. But then slowly I started thinking of what was good in my life, and then I couldn’t stop.

  • Thanking people/ sending them our blessings:

There are so many people in your life who influence it. Some in good ways and some in bad.

How often do we just thank them for being there? Your parents, spouse, friends? Never really right? So just take out some time to send a small “thank you” message to someone. Trust me, it will make their day! Or you can start doing it mentally.  

Even the toxic people have something to teach you in life. In spirituality they are termed as ‘karmic relationships’ which can be difficult emotionally but are also meant to be a learning experience. Recognise the lesson they are teaching you and if need be LET GO of the relationship.

  • Try finding the good in bad situations:

While the world will be crashing around you, there will always be a silver lining somewhere. Look for it, don’t freefall into the abyss. It’s when we are tested, that we are able to grow. We just have to realise how… how we have grown stronger and probably more resilient from them.