We greet each other with “Happy Thanksgiving,” but how often do we stop to think about it – and to really give thanks? And why do we limit it to just one day each year? We need to practice gratitude every day.

I know. Sometimes it is hard. Things go wrong a lot. People get sick. We lose people and pets we love. Our hearts get broken. Cars and appliances break down. Transactions fall through.  Nearly everything we buy costs more than it did a month ago.

We feel empathy for the hurricane and flood victims. Our hearts also go out to all the people who are suffering from crime – those who have lost loved ones to murderer or have lost their livelihoods to looters, thieves, and vandals. And then there are those who have lost their jobs due to business failures. And then, of course, there are those people whose countries have turned into actual war zones and whose sons and daughters have died in the conflicts.

The list of reasons NOT to feel grateful goes on and on.

BUT…

Not only is focusing on those things detrimental to your health and well-being; it doesn’t do one thing to help anyone.

The only outcome of focusing on what’s wrong is to make yourself (and everyone around you) feel worse.

Alternatively, practicing gratitude can help you and those around you.

According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, “Expressing gratitude is associated with a host of mental and physical benefits. Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease.”

And… when you take gratitude beyond thinking it to actually thanking people, you’ll also benefit them. After all, who doesn’t like being appreciated? And you never know, a sincere thank you might be exactly what some person needed to get through a tough day.

When you thank someone for something specific, you’ll make them feel better; and knowing that you did so will make you feel even better.

Saying thank you is good for business, too.

Remember that you can make a good impression on prospects and clients by saying thank you repeatedly. If you can’t think what to say or when to say it, get your own copy of my Real Estate Thank You Notes – and use them regularly!

If you’ve gotten into the perpetual gloom mood, how can you get out of it?

By force, of course. You’ll have to make yourself form some new habits – and I promise that it will be worth the effort.

Here are a few that will help:

First, a really easy one:

Instead of looking down, make it your habit to look up. If you’re sitting waiting, riding with someone else or on public transportation, don’t sit and look at the floor.

And if you start to feel blue as you go about your day, stop and look up. If it’s possible, step outside and look up at the sky.

Next, advice from Rhonda Byrne:

“As you go about your day today, mentally pick out one hundred things that you love. “I love my family, I love my coffee, I love my home, I love the sunshine, I love the weekend, etc.”  This is a powerful frequency-shifter to add to your repertoire.”

“Any time you want to change the way you feel and, at the same time, accelerate your life by attracting things you love, do a love rampage by picking out and listing all the things you love. Once you reach seventeen seconds, the law of attraction will multiply your thoughts, and you will receive a rapid fire of even more thoughts of things you love!”

Rhonda is such a believer in the power of gratitude that she produced this short YouTube video to encourage you to try it.

If you recall, Rhonda Byrne wrote “The Secret,” which is all about the Law of Attraction. The more you think about something, the more you will attract it – and it doesn’t matter if it is something you want or something you don’t want.

I know, a lot of people don’t believe in it, but I’ve seen it in action too many times to discount it. The problem is, most people spend more time thinking about what they don’t want or the lack of what they do want.  And that just gets them more of the same. Thinking about what you lack won’t help you take inspired actions or attract the people and circumstances to help you get what you do want.

If you want to know more, do use my affiliate link to get your own copy of The Secret. 

Start a gratitude journal.

Every day, practice gratitude by writing down ten things you’re grateful for. This is really easy at first, but if you try to write down ten new things each day, you’ll have to reach. And that’s good. Reaching will help you see just how MUCH you have to be grateful for.

At first you might list family members and friends, your good health, good food, or the roof over your head. Then you might go on to favorite furnishings or clothes. Of course, your clients should make their way in there somewhere. And then there are all the people who help you close transactions. Keep going. There’s your calculator and your desk, and how about your phone and computer? And the educational and/or fun things that come into your email.

Police yourself.

When you start to think an unhappy thought, catch yourself and say “STOP! Think a better thought.”

I know – you do have to think about any unpleasant or troubling situation that requires your action to resolve. And if you are concerned about someone (even yourself) who is ill, you can’t ignore it. But you CAN avoid thinking of the worst outcome and think instead of the best.

Sometimes something we see triggers a memory that’s good and fun to revisit, and sometimes the opposite happens. If you start to remember something that makes you unhappy, bring that mental stop sign out just as fast as you can! Replace that thought with a good memory, thoughts of something good that’s going on right now, or something good you anticipate for a future time.

Revisiting unpleasant events will do you plenty of harm and no good at all.

Talk about things that make you feel good.

When you’re talking with family and friends, pepper your speech with things like:

• “I was glad to hear from Sally last night.”
• “We had exceptionally good food and service at that new restaurant last week.”
• “Isn’t this weather glorious?”
• “Sometimes I think I have the best kids in the universe.”
• “It was sure easy to house train our new puppy.”
• “Isn’t it wonderful to see pretty colored cars and trucks again?”

Then, if they respond in kind, encourage it. Ask questions and be interested in their good thoughts too!

The bonus here is that the more you talk about things you like, the more you’ll see things you like. Your smiles will come easier and easier as time goes by.

And here is a tip from Eden Energy Medicine:

When you see something that makes you smile, tap it in. What the heck does that mean?

There’s a spot in the middle of your forehead known as the “third eye.” When you see something or someone that makes you laugh or smile, just give it a few taps. I’m not the expert who can tell you why and how it works, but it seems to “set” that happy feeling.

I do know one thing for sure. That is that the more thought and attention you give to being happy, the happier you’ll be.

Having a little fun with gratitude is good too, so…

Here’s a quiz from Merriam-Webster.  

Just choose whether each word represents gratitude or a bad attitude.

A word about this year…

Please don’t let yourself be swayed by people on TV telling you to shun family and friends who don’t share your political views.

Go to dinner with them anyway, and either talk about other topics, or talk about the political views you do share. There are no doubt a few places where you can come into agreement.

Love and appreciate the people you love. Don’t let politics or talking heads on the TV separate you from them.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

This message was previously posted at: This Thanksgiving, practice gratitude - Copy By Marte