Gratitude changes you.
Here in the USA we are coming up on Thanksgiving. It is a day that is set aside for family gatherings, eating lots of food and being thankful. At the same time, the history of the day, is challenging. And that conflict or challenge needs recognition as well. It is said that the original Thanksgiving was a feast organized by the Governor William Bradford after a first successful corn harvest, inviting Wampanoag chief Massasoit.
The history of the United States is a mix of great things and really bad things. I am grateful for all of the work that people have done throughout the years to make the country better. It is definitely a work in progress and there is much to do.
That being said, as we come up on this day set aside for thanksgiving, it is a good time to acknowledge all that we have.
While this year has been extremely different from any other year. The pandemic has changed the world. But within the challenges and the extreme difficulty it has presented, there has been good. The quieting of the country in many ways. Slowing down. Spending time with family. More campfires in the backyard. More reading, more work on the house…..more bread making and baking!! A new garden, with a harvest!
I am grateful for all that we have.
Our house is quieter with less plane traffic overhead. It is actually noticeable when a plane does fly overhead as it is now so rare. The sky is clear with no jet streams.
I find that spending time in gratitude is important. Sometimes, it is hard to remember all that we have. We can end up focusing on what we don’t have than on what we do have.
I am also grateful for having a community of business leaders around me. Thank YOU for being part of that community, for all that you are doing in the world and making a difference.
For years, I kept a gratitude and accomplishment journal. They were each important. Gratitude for remembering all that I had in my life. Accomplishment journal to acknowledge all the work that was being done each day. Again, a tendency to focus energy on what was NOT done instead of what was accomplished. I found that many small business owners, also had challenges recognizing all that they had done during the year. They would list a few big things but failed to see all that they did each day.
Creating a daily accomplishment journal helped to overcome this. They started to see that they weren’t just spinning their wheels but actually were making forward progress!! Once they saw the accomplishment, then there could be gratitude as well. They fit together well.
Pick up a nice journal (I use old fashioned composition books) and they are cheap. Do one page each morning — gratitude; and one page each night — accomplishments. This practice can actually change your life.
And let me know what you find!! I think it will be incredible.