A Thankful Heart… not just a November Novelty.

It is that time of the year again. The time to look back on all the good things we were blessed to have and enjoy this year. We all know the quote saying, “A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.”, Every time we go through struggles, we have a choice to look at the lesson and be grateful or to stay in the struggle

The thing about being thankful and appreciating what we have is that it changes our mindset. We get rid of thinking that we lack something after we set our focus on what we already have. How do we make gratitude an attitude instead of just being thankful during November?

• Start a gratitude journal.
  This is a common tip for this season, which also means you already know what to do. Change the usual drill by listing things you actively appreciate. It does not really matter how trivial those things are, as long as they mean something to you. It could be as small as finding the coin purse you have been looking for and realizing you left some money there--just when you needed it the most.
• Focus on being thankful.
  It could naturally be hard to do so, especially when you are experiencing struggles in your everyday life. Losing a job, failed relationships, or too much work may steal you of even the littlest joys in life. What you can do is focus on the good things happening. It is easy to say there is none when so much is going on, but you will surely find one when you look closer. You woke up healthy today, you are not late for work, and the barista in your favorite cafe has finally got your kind of cuppa joe, aren’t those things to be grateful for?
• Make saying ‘thank you’ a habit.
  We have been taught of this since we were kids, but for some reason we forego the habit. Being an adult actually prompts us more to say thank you more often, if we need that much of a reminder about the little things we have to be grateful for in our lives. It somehow makes us realize of the things we hardly notice when our hands are full.

Appreciating the littlest things should not only be a November novelty, but a lifetime commitment. It’s power over our overall attitude and mindset about life is manifested by how we take every challenge that come our way. Appreciation translates to putting value in what we already have. Once we have made appreciation an attitude, we finally see our life in a different light and take notice of the smallest things in life. We here at Stanford Chiropractic Center are thankful for each of you. You all add a special something to our days which allows to serve with joy!