Thankfulness #EMBA27

Thankfulness causes us to reflect on what is really important and brings a fresh perspective into our lives.

Reasons to be Thankful

1. Thankfulness improves relationships.

Everyone has a need and desire to be appreciated—spouses, children, parents, friends, coworkers, even the strangers we meet in passing.

When we express gratitude to people, we have not only met their needs and lift their spirits, but we make them feel validated. And that improves the quality of our relationships with them.

2. Thankfulness creates contentment.

It can be difficult to appreciate what you have right now. But by choosing to be thankful, you choose to embrace contentment.  “A heart filled with gratitude, there is no room for discontentment.”

3. Thankfulness cultivates humility.

Arrogance and ungratefulness go hand and hand. But the opposite is also true. When we choose to be thankful for the big and small blessings in our lives, we foster a heart of humility and a spirit of graciousness.

4. Thankfulness is contagious.

Just as fear and worry are contagious, so is the spread of gratitude. When we’re inspired by others’ gratefulness, it prompts our own grateful thoughts and actions as well. We can be the catalysts that spread gratitude in our homes, offices, and communities.

5. Thankfulness feels good.

All we have to do is count our blessings and turn our hearts and thoughts toward gratitude. The warm and fuzzy feelings will follow.

6. Thankfulness keeps us healthy.

“Gratitude research is beginning to suggest that feelings of thankfulness have a tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress,” says University of California Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons. He goes on to explain that gratitude and optimism can even boost our immune system. When we stop focusing on what we don’t have and begin focusing on everything we do have, our shoulders relax and we invite peace, patience, and health into our lives.

7. Thankfulness produces positivity.

When we are thankful, the natural byproduct is that we become more positive people. There are endless daily annoyances that can bring us down and steal our joy. But when we’re intentionally thankful, it naturally redirects our thoughts to see the good in other people and in our everyday lives.

8. Thankfulness promotes generosity.

It is tough to be givers when our eyes are always on our own needs. When we are thankful for what we have, we can hold our blessings with an open hand and freely give to others. And when we realize how abundantly we are blessed, we can confidently and joyfully become a blessing to others.

9. Thankfulness increases likability.

It is fair to say no one wants to be around an ungrateful, entitled individual. Yet we all enjoy spending time with grateful, down-to-earth folks. When you are grateful, people see you in a positive light and they naturally like you and want to be around you.

10. Thankfulness displays God’s character.

The Bible is full of passages on gratitude and thankfulness. It is used in commands, parables, and prayers. This quality is important to God, so when we actively practice gratefulness, we become more of who God created us to be. Plus, we also get to connect with Him through our thankful thoughts and prayers. Unlike talent, gratitude is something that is freely available to all of us and completely within our control. It is not a special “gifting” that some people have and others don’t.

Every day we get to choose to be thankful and to experience the side benefits of gratefulness all year long.