Did you know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has a BLOG? You can find all kinds of inspiring quotes, lessons, and shared personal experiences that may help you in your own life. During November, appropriately so, the LDS Blog is focusing on the theme: Think to Thank. In the blog post, we read about happiness.
From day to day, many of us wish we were happier. But do we really know HOW to find that happiness? We read that, “President Thomas S. Monson teaches us how to increase our happiness wherever we are in life with a simple yet effective formula: Think to Thank.”
President Monson adds, “In these three words you have the finest capsule course for a happy marriage, the formula for enduring friendships and a pattern for personal happiness.”
Blessings do come to us, every day, if we will look for them. Even in our days of despair, the blessings are there. The article asks, “When do we think to thank?”
It gives several suggestions such as: Thanking the people we love every day, thanking in the middle of the journey, not just at the end, thinking to thank God in all things—even in our trials.
During our lives here, we have so much to take care of, so many people to look after and appointments to meet, mouths to feed and yards to mow, ball games, graduations, birthdays and sick kids waking at night. There are millions of tasks to do every day.
In the middle of it all, we need to remember how important the relationships are with those we love. Let them know! President Monson taught, “We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude. Let us not wait until it is too late for us to express that gratitude.”
Life coach, Tiffany Peterson said, “A lot of times we associate gratitude to a feeling and to a time of year. But how do we move gratitude from a feeling to a practice…to something more habit based?”
Peterson says, “When something is more habit we are activating that on a more regular basis.”
In other words, we can make being grateful more part of us. Put it into practice. One step into making this happen is the pace of our lives. We can choose to go at a slower pace. Peterson says to begin your day with, “Intentional awareness…and meditate on your thoughts by asking “What am I thankful for?”
Be aware of your blessings surrounding you daily and be aware in the present moment. Petersen adds, “This will help us practice being in a grateful state.”
“Spend time with positive people,” are also some words of encouragement from Peterson.
And we know that when we do engage with others who boost up our inner selves they can help us outwardly too. For example, there are: Family, friends, mentors, teachers, and the list can go on.
If you’d like to learn more about gratitude and implement the “practice” of living it intentionally in your daily life take a look at www.gratitudeseries.com
You may also go to www.lds.org and look up the the Think to Thank blog post.
We can sincerely feel God’s love in our lives if we will open the doors of thanksgiving and gratitude daily. We can be strengthened in our trials and given hope. Take time throughout the month of November and beyond to meditate and be more thoughtful of your blessings. And in, turn, be one of those positive people others desire to be around too.
Let’s not wait until it’s too late to express our gratitude.
