Thankful Thursday

Good Morning and welcome to another Thankful Thursday. I hope that you have an amazing day.

Today I want to share with you the difference between thankfulness and gratitude and the reasons why so many of us get frustrated because we don't understand the difference. 

Gratitude requires reflection and stillness, two things that can be difficult in our busy, overstimulated everyday lives.  As a result, we’re also missing out on the benefits of gratitude, which may be greater than many people realize. I recently learned that within the field of positive psychology, that’s exactly what gratitude is—an attitude, an overall mentality and mindset that prioritizes appreciation for the gifts and opportunities life offers As it turns out, the effects of gratitude can be important for our overall well-being for several reasons as it improves mental health, physical health, builds stronger social bonds, and it helps build resilience to get you through the storms of life. If you are struggling on how to start practicing gratitude, start by listing just a few things you are thankful for like waking up every morning. I know it sounds lame but I promise you when you start to really sit in silence and  just reflect on what you have you start to realize just how good we have it compared to others around us. 

Thankfulness is a response to a particular event or experience. For example you can have gratitude for your friends but you're thankful when they show up early and leave late after the party to help you clean up and tear down so it's easier for you. You can be grateful for your fellow co-workers but are thankful when they bought your lunch because you forgot  your money at home. 

Practicing gratitude means accepting things as they are, while also holding onto our appreciation of things that we value and have access to. Thankfulness grows out of this mindset, positioning us to be able to notice and express thanks when things do go right, like saying “thank you” or even buying small gifts or writing thank you notes. To cultivate a fully, authentically positive mindset, we must practice both gratitude and thankfulness. You must ask yourself whether your thankfulness lives under an umbrella of gratitude and whether your gratitude gets spoken aloud through words of thankfulness. When you pair these two layers of appreciation, you will be building a spirit of authentic positivity that shines over everything you do.

I hope that you will find a way to bless someone else as you go about our day because one simple act of kindness can trickle through tons of people. I hope that you have found value in this message and I hope that you have the most amazing day. I look forward to seeing you next week , remember to always be kind as it costs nothing.  If you see someone without a smile give them yours you really don't know whose life you could change.

Written by: Beautifulchaos318