As I was cleaning out some mail over this past Thanksgiving holiday, I had a hard time knowing what to do with a handful of handwritten cards. They were personal letters written to me this year from people who were offering their gratitude. They meant a lot to me. I can’t throw them away because each one of these letters gave me great pride.
It got me thinking that as we celebrate our holidays, it is our chance to take some time to be grateful for all that we have. Imagine when the pilgrims united with the Native Americans cross-culturally nearly 400 years ago to give thanks for a new partnership. Every year on Thanksgiving, we come together with our loved ones to show our gratitude for life’s blessings and celebrate with a great meal. Or at least that’s the idea. Yet, how many people did we actually thank for their kindness and love this year? Even with all that we have, gratitude doesn’t always come easy.
Why is it that when our lives are objectively better than most people who have ever lived, we are all prone to seeing the clouds? We zero in on the annoyances of others but rarely acknowledge what is wonderful about our friends, family members, or coworkers. We get angry when our favorite sports team loses but forget the tremendous coaching staff and players that the team has developed. We take our health for granted, but when we have a health problem, it is our only focus.
The enemies of gratitude abound. Yet, we all know the positive impact that gratitude for others can have on our lives; it is a powerful driver of well-being.
Gratitude is an emotion that seems to unlock the best qualities in each of us. When we show gratitude, it makes us a better person. In fact, research has shown that it improves our sleep, our generosity, our health, and our relationships with others.
The tools we use to evaluate our lives are what shape what we see and whether we see. Before the new year begins, I’m going to employ one technique toward making me a better next version of myself. I’m going to mail a handwritten note to someone I care about, telling them how much they mean to me. I challenge you to do the same.
Writing that letter will help another know how much they mean to you and provide them with a sense of pride. Doing so, you might just encounter a different problem: you’ll have to find a place for the notes of gratitude back to you.
