AFFIRMATION: Smart Girls Know How To Be Thankful

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.

—Buddha

For many of us, the idea of being “thankful” is a concept we’ve been aware since we were young.

There’s Thanksgiving, of course. The day we sit around an oversized dining room table and gorge ourselves with a sampling of turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, corn and the like before propping our overstuffed selves in front of the TV to catch the end of the football game with Grandpa.

Then there’s the notion of saying, “Thank you” – something that our parents likely drummed into our heads over and over again as toddlers in their attempt to instill in us a little politeness.

For some of us, there’s saying our prayers, where we cap off our wish list to God by saying “thank you” for things like our dog, our house, our best friend.

But while the idea of being thankful is familiar to just about everyone, truly experiencing the notion of thankfulness is something that many of us don’t do often enough. We get caught up in our everyday lives and all the little things that are going wrong – forgetting to do an important homework assignment, having our crush tell us he just wants to “be friends,” losing our bid to be elected class president, getting caught in the middle of a nasty fight between mom and dad, being ostracized by our closest group of friends, feeling for certain that no one on the planet understands who we are or what we’re going through.

But it’s times like these that being thankful – acknowledging something or someone in your life that brings you joy, comfort or safety – can actually have the most impact in your life.

Being thankful:

• shifts your focus away from the negative and towards the positive
• puts things in perspective by reminding you there is good in your life no matter how bad things get
• has a positive impact on your emotions and mental state of mind
• lowers your stress levels

Why not give it a try and see what the results are for you? For the next week, try being thankful for ONE THING every day. Yes, that’s right…ONE THING. And when I say “being thankful,” I’m talking about truly acknowledging and feeling the gratitude. Here are some ideas for things you might be thankful for in case you get stumped:

• your dog or cat (or other pet)
• your health
• your family
• a teacher
• your sense of humor
• your house or apartment
• your bed or bedroom
• your love of reading
• your natural talent (artistic, athletic, etc.)
• people who love you
• good friends
• food on the table
• movie theatre popcorn
• your favorite book or television show
• your ability to read
• a beautiful day
• the beach

Remember – even when it seems like there’s nothing to be grateful for, feeling gratitude about even the smallest thing can have a bigger impact than spending your time complaining about what’s missing in your life. You be the judge… let me know how it works for you!