Thanksgiving is of course a highlight in the American calendar; the third Thursday in November which seems to have gathered momentum here as the prelude to the Christmas shopping day known as Black Friday, a term we have all come to know.

So it seems an appropriate day to consider gratitude – feeling thankful, feeling grateful. Our brains are hard wired at a primal level to look for threat – back in the day it was of course about survival but in modern life our ‘threats’ are more subtle and often psychological; we look for and focus on problems, what is missing, what is wrong, what isn’t working. While this is not life-threatening per se it does impact the quality of our lives so that we have a tendency to overlook all the wonderful things, people, experiences that are happening all around us.

Research shows that people who practice gratitude (in whatever form that takes) are happier, healthier, more enthusiastic, aware, alert and as a result enjoy more professional success and better relationships.

Gratitude is one of the building blocks of the field of positive psychology Dr Martin Seligman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Seligman is an authority on the subject; if you’re interested in reading more then a great book of his is Authentic Happiness. Don’t be put off by his academic background it’s a book we can all relate to.

The good news is that feeling grateful is a habit that can be cultivated – it’s a choice. Simply writing down what you are grateful for can elevate your mood and by practising this in the morning it sets a positive tone for your day. Miracle morning by Hal Elrod http://www.miraclemorning.com/ is another great read about the morning daily habits that will empower you and increase your happiness.

What gratitude habits do you have? Let me know I’d love to hear from you.