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I spent a lot of time thinking about what I was thankful for last week. Although Thanksgiving is over, I’d like to share a bit of what was going on in my head.
My hope is that reading this does two things: One, it sparks you to pause and appreciate these – or other – beautiful things in your life. Two, it helps you to realize you should always be thankful, even outside the holidays.
Here’s what we’re covering today:
🙏 The Art of Thankfulness
🌌 What I’m Thankful For
🤗 How To Amplify It
Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 2 seconds
I’ve come to realize that it’s human nature to dwell on negative events more than positive events. It’s why you tend to remember insults more than compliments and recall failures more than successes. This cognitive bias can cause us to live lives that are less fulfilled and more sad than we may want.
On the bright side, it’s surprisingly simple to overcome this bias: simply take the time to be thankful for the positive things in your life.
Being thankful can make the difference between living a healthy life filled with happiness and beautiful relationships or a miserable one.
But feeling thankful is only half of it. There’s one more step you need to do to amplify the positive effects.
But first, here’s 3 things I’m thankful for.
I feel immense luck and fortune that I was able to experience what it means to live. And die. Knowing that I have a limited time to play this game called “life” fills me with a deep sense of appreciation and urgency.
It makes me cherish every moment I have. It’s what makes every shared joy more profound because I know it could be my last.
It sounds silly, but whenever I’m around friends or family, I like to take a step back, disconnect from the activity, and just observe for a minute. I look at everyone’s faces, the environment, breathe, and just let this sense of joy and gratitude take over.
Spending a relaxed evening with my family and close friends is something I can never get tired of. No judgement, no resentment; just people I love who are happy to be in each other’s presence and are ready to savour every moment.
This reminds me that I’m not alone. Just as I love others, I’m loved. It reinforces our shared journey and the idea that joy is best experienced with others and that true happiness is found in connecting with others.
This is very different from loneliness. It’s being by myself because I chose to be by myself. These are some of my favorite moments where I find comfort. It’s time when I get to really learn about and understand myself.
More specifically, I like to take this time to go through my past failures, fears, and emotional scars – things that I’m not comfortable enough to talk about with someone else yet.
I was terrified of quitting my job. I replayed my life over and over again to try and figure out why. The reasons were endless: the lack of financial security, the feeling of uncertainty, etc.
But for each reason, I was eventually able to come up with a solution. And when I “solved” every issue, I took the leap to quit my job and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. There’s an indescribable feeling that comes with facing an internal struggle head on and overcoming it.
Doing something new makes me feel like I’m in an Indiana Jones series. Just like an adventure movie, I don’t know what’s coming next: what new sights I’ll take in, what new people I’ll meet, or what new stories I’ll be able to share – I might hate something but I also might love it.
It’s a complete gamble – rolling the dice of life and anticipating the positive anxiety of not knowing what’s next.
I especially love to try new foods. For me, eating is a pathway into my physical, mental, and spiritual state. It’s not just about filling myself up – it’s about taking delight in every bite, feeling the textures, smelling the smells, and pausing to appreciate the flavors that someone spent their time, energy, and experience to make for me.
Being thankful incites a pleasurable and warm glow – here’s how you can amplify it.
I want you to pause for a moment and answer this question:
What are you thankful for?
It could be as simple as having access to food, a place to call home, or a partner whose face lights up when you’re around. It could be the joy of being a parent, freedom from a life-threatening illness, or being able to breathe fresh air.
The way to amplify the positive emotions you feel right now just takes 2 steps:
1. Write down what you’re thankful for
2. Share it with someone
You can share it with anyone – your friend, partner, or family member – but the power of this comes from the simple act of sharing it.
If you’re comfortable with it, I’d love it if you could share it with me. Simply reply to this email and let me know what you’re thankful for.
I can’t imagine a better way to be thankful for life than reading your stories :).
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