Have an Attitude Full of Gratitude: The Importance of Pursuing Gratitude
“Give thanks with a grateful heart.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Happy Thanksgiving Eve y’all! It’s actually a little weird saying that considering it’s so late this year, and next week is the first full week of December. I literally only have two weeks of the semester left, and one of them is finals week. Thanksgiving hasn’t been this late in the longest time! But I could care less about how late or early it is. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and I’m just so grateful it’s finally here!
Speaking of being grateful, this is a topic that I will be focusing on in this post: the importance of pursuing gratitude. As Thanksgiving is approaching and is the time of year to be grateful and give thanks, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to reflect on gratitude and thankfulness. I know there are many people who dread Thanksgiving and the holiday season as a whole when it comes to dealing with annoying relatives, shopping for gifts, eating a disgusting English trifle with meat and peas (S/O to Rachel Green), watching your favorite sports team lose a big game and so on. I think so many of us tend to forget about the actual meaning behind the holiday and why we all gather together for it. It’s a special time for us to thank God for the abundant blessings He provides and to reflect on what matters most to us. There’s a reason why it’s called Thanksgiving … to GIVE Him THANKS! As it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, “Give thanks with a grateful heart.” So follow what Scripture says and pursue an attitude full of gratitude (hence the title of the post) ❤️
However, I will say that Thanksgiving shouldn’t be the only time of year that we practice and celebrate gratitude. It should be practiced and celebrated on all the other 364 days and throughout life! As cliche as it may sound, I genuinely believe that gratitude is the secret to finding positivity and happiness in every day. I think so many people in this world, myself included, struggle with comparing ourselves to one another and wanting what we don’t have. Do you ever walk by a store in the mall and wish you had the beautiful expensive shoes in the window? Or a partner who checks off everything on your list that you look for in a relationship? Or to be like that famous influencer that you follow with over a million followers on social media and the ability to travel wherever in the world? I could go on with a variety of different examples revolved around comparison and unsatisfaction. I think there’s this idea that most people have when they say, “Once I accomplish this goal and fulfill this dream, then I will fully be content and happy with my life.” However, while accomplishing goals and fulfilling dreams is a wonderful feeling, it won’t make you fully content and happy forever. In fact, only focusing on getting to those goals and dreams rather than focusing on the present can push you either further away from contentment and happiness. Putting too much focus onto what isn’t existing in your life at the moment will only make you miss out on the blessings in the present moment. You don’t want to look back at your life thirty years from now and wish you hadn’t wasted those moments, do you?
I also think it’s easy to take a lot of things for granted. In a way, most of our lives are healthier and easier compared to others. Just for a second, think about how you would feel if the things you already had didn’t exist in your life. No money, no clothes, no food, no family or friends, no education, access to medicine, etc. etc. How does the thought of all that being non-existent make you feel? A bit sad, right? Also makes you want to stop complaining about not having what you don’t want, huh? That idea just reminds me to be grateful so what I’ve already been blessed with, things that should NOT be taken for granted!
One of the inspirations I had for writing this post was a celebrity who I think truly portrays gratitude, and that is Henry Winkler. Most of you probably know him best as “the Fonz” from Happy Days … I know him best as Jean-Ralphio’s dad, Dr. Saperstein, from Parks and Recreation 😂 But recently, I’ve been watching his interviews and I absolutely love the way he expresses gratitude towards his life. I had to bring this up because I feel as if though we imagine the majority of celebrities being greedy, snobby, and despise what they do. But after watching a few of Henry’s interviews, it was so cool to see someone who is very famous talk about the joys they find in life, even the simplest little things. Listening to him makes me want to be as positive and grateful as him when I’m his age, and I want to start living like that long before then! To be a major Hollywood star who’s always on the go yet still give thanks and pursues gratitude on a daily basis just goes to show how powerful thankfulness and gratitude are!
Practicing gratitude daily is so important. If you’re eager to start pursuing an attitude full of gratitude but don’t know where to start, there are a variety of ways. Some people have different preferences based on how they practice giving thanks, but I do believe everyone is capable of finding a way or multiple ways that works best for them. Here down below are my five favorite ways to practice that have helped me develop an attitude full of gratitude!
5 Ways to Practice and Develop an Attitude Full of Gratitude:
Write a list of things you’re most grateful for
This is definitely one of the best ways (in my opinion at least) to find gratitude. Writing down what I’m grateful for gives me the opportunity to focus only on positive things and helps me to reflect on it once I’ve finished. I’ve been doing this strategy for a while now and it’s definitely the number one technique that helps me practice gratitude and thankfulness. I definitely encourage you to try it yourself, it’s extremely beneficial whether you enjoy writing or not. It’s super simple and easy, too. You can even make categorized lists such as favorite food, places you’ve traveled to, people in your life that mean a lot to you, etc. It’s all about what makes you most happy and most grateful!
Find the little joys in every day
My great grandmother is 103-years old (and still thriving!), and I truly believe one of the secrets to her longevity (minus growing up in Italy, eating natural foods and climbing the mountains every day) is gratitude. Every time someone she loves calls her on the phone or when she receives a special gift, she always says, “This is the happiest day of my life!” So basically what she’s saying is that every day she’s lived has been the happiest day of her life. And I think that’s amazing how she sees such great joy in the littlest things! So my goal each day is to find the smallest details that can enlighten my mood, such as a fresh cup of coffee in the morning, texting my sister or even writing a blog post such as this one! The little things in life can even make such a big impact.
Meditation
Meditation has been another way for me that’s helped me practice gratitude. Before and/or after a long, busy day, finding a comfortable and peaceful place to become centered and focus on all the positive things in life is a great way to start off. And I’m left feeling more at ease and relaxed afterwards, which is a bonus! I know meditation isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth trying out at least once if you want to focus specifically on finding gratitude. This Gratitude Meditation video by Relax For A While has helped me out a few times (and it’s only 10 minutes long), so I definitely recommend trying it out!
Reflect on old, cherished memories
After my Nana passed away earlier this year, I wished I had taken my time that I had with her for granted. But even though I can’t see her till I reunite in heaven with her one day, I’m just so blessed that I had such an amazing grandmother who was so kindhearted, sassy (definitely where my sass came from 😂), and supported me and my dreams till the day she passed. And I love reflecting on all the memories I have of her, and they always put a smile on my face no matter what. It’s so amazing how even the smallest of memories can really enlighten your mood. Nostalgia basically reminds us of how meaningful our lives are, too meaningful to waste or compare with others’ lives. So cherish the good memories you have for as long as you can remember!
Give thanks, damnit!
There is so much power and love in the phrase “thank you”. Giving thanks has also been proven to decrease anxiety, depression and stress, and instead boosts joy and - can you guess? - GRATITUDE! So next time you catch yourself feeling down, just start giving thanks. Give thanks to God, your parents, your siblings, your other relatives, your close friends, teachers and professors who’ve taught you, the barista who always makes your favorite latte at the local coffeeshop, just start giving thanks towards everyone and everything! Life is too short to dwell in negativity or focus on what you don’t have, so just start saying thank you for all that you’ve already been blessed with and towards those who make your life better just by being in their presence! There’s so much to be grateful for, so just give thanks, damnit!
I hope this post was helpful to anyone who’s approaching Thanksgiving and feeling not so grateful or thankful at the moment. I want to encourage you today to find the things that make you smile, pursue what you love, count your blessings, and most of all, remember how much God loves you. The more you remember His love and blessings and give Him thanks with a grateful heart (just like it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18!), the more blessings He will grant you later on. Once you start practicing gratitude on a daily basis, I promise that your perspective on life with positively change big time! I pray that all of you have blessed Thanksgiving full of so much gratitude and joy ❤️
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I also want to take this opportunity to let you all know that Giving Tuesday is coming up! It is an international day of charitable giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. It’s a wonderful way to give back to others and spread kindness at the beginning of Christmas, the season of giving! As most of you know, I’m one of the leaders for a campus ministry chapter at Kent run by the national organization Delight Ministries, a Christ-centered community dedicated to fostering vulnerability and transforming stories for college women who have a heart for Jesus. Delight wants to raise enough money to create more chapters all across the nation, so they reached out to me and asked me to spread the word! It’s extremely simple, all you have to do is send them money via Venmo (@delightministries). You only have to pay $5 which isn’t much (basically the same amount you pay for a drink at Starbucks), but of course you’re more than welcome to pay more if you’re feeling extra generous! Delight and I would be incredibly GRATEFUL (no pun intended) if you donated and helped the organization grow more chapters and bring more women closer to Jesus.
Start of the season of giving on a bright and merry note just by donating and giving today, or wait till next week on Giving Tuesday as well! Happy Holidays, y’all!
