This next one is simple, practical, and effective. It is at the heart of Project Positivity, and it’s something that’s helped me tremendously to be a more positive person. I can promise that your life will change for the better if you start to implement this one thing in your life: thanksgiving. Once a day, find some small things to be thankful for. See how many you can think of in, say, a minute. I found it best to acknowledge the small, the really minuscule things in my life. “This coffee is just right.” “This music is great.” “Lunch was quite tasty.” “The moon is pretty tonight.”
I like to do this with a prayer, thanking God for the small blessings in my life. He gives us the things we’re grateful for because he loves us. So, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thes. 5:16-18) Those are not separate things, they’re simultaneous. We should rejoice, pray, and give thanks all at once. To pray this prayer of thanksgiving glorifies God and lifts the spirits tremendously. Since our chief end is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever,” it would make sense that God would bless this glorifying. How cool is that?!
To pray a prayer of thanksgiving glorifies God and lifts the spirits tremendously. Since our chief end is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever,” it would make sense that God would bless this glorifying.
One great thing about this exercise is that it’s all internal. You can do it whenever you want and better yet, nobody’s going to make fun of you for it. Experiment with thanking God for the smallest of things, and you’ll see such growth in your mental attitude. It will be difficult at first to try and think of things, it will feel awkward, and it might take effort. But the more you do it, the easier and better it will get. I challenge you, that every time you think of this exercise, you run through it again. It’s so short that hopefully you won’t justify putting it off or procrastinating. If there’s one thing you get from the entire duration of this blog, I hope it is this habit of thanksgiving.
One more thing. Try to make this experience as genuine as possible. (But you don’t have to. You’ll still see results if you’re just going through the motions. That’s how I started.) Truly appreciate what you’re grateful for, with heartfelt thanksgiving.
There’s a wealth of scientific knowledge about the science of gratitude. One video that sums this up is by Kurzgesagt and I highly recommend watching "An Antidote to Dissatisfaction" if you want to hear more about gratitude’s effects.
Lesson: Make a habit of heartfelt thanksgiving. Practice positive mindfulness, even if it's just for a minute a day. You will begin to see the beauty of small things as your positive attitude flourishes.
Take a minute or two to practice this now. What are you thankful for? What can you be thankful for?
Comentários