How Choosing To Express Your Gratitude Can Change Your Life

After living in the United States for twenty-six years, the American Thanksgiving holiday has become a part of what I always look forward to.

Held on the fourth Thursday of November every year, it’s a time for family and friends to come together and enjoy the bounty of the autumn harvest in a magnificent Thanksgiving meal.

And for me, the Spirit of Thanksgiving has become much more than that. It is a regular reminder of the power of gratitude. Giving thanks not only for our food, family, and friends but also for other aspects of our lives, big and small.

CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSE TO PRACTICE GRATITUDE

Many people look for joy and happiness from external sources. That search is often disappointing and even a dead end.

We don’t have to look to the outside world to become happy. A much more direct way is to choose to be joyous and happy. Yes, the potency of making a conscious choice may surprise you.

According to neuroscientists, you can use the practice of gratitude as a tool to get you to that joy and happiness. Research shows that gratitude affects our brain, creating higher levels of positive emotions, vibrancy, optimism, and life satisfaction that brings you to joy and happiness.

As we start to feel the positive effects of our gratitude practice, it’s important to share it with others.

A quote from the American author and motivational speaker William Arthur Ward comes to mind today.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” — William Arthur Ward

Those of us celebrating the American Thanksgiving Holiday today have the perfect opportunity to consciously choose and spontaneously express our gratitude for things big and small. That could be the people around us, whether our family and friends or someone who helps us at the airport or smiles at us in line when picking the last things up for the Thanksgiving meal.

And to amplify the impact of the gratitude practice, we can consciously choose to practice it every single day of the year.

Deepening your gratitude practice is critical in my conscious leadership training curriculum for those aspiring to become conscious leaders and wanting to deepen their leadership effectiveness.

As I give thanks to you today, my community members, clients, friends, and colleagues, so I give thanks to LIFE and all the wonders it constantly bestows on me, big and small.

Lets end with another quote from William Arthur Ward that is perfect for today’s message.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

You may also be interested in:

• GIVING THANKS THE INDIGENOUS WAY
• HARNESSING THE RENEWAL POWER OF NATURE
• BALANCING THE GIVING AND RECEIVING PRINCIPLE

Connect with Rúna:

• Website: www.TruePowerInstitute.com
• Twitter: @RunaBouius
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Rúna Bouius is a former CEO and serial entrepreneur from Iceland and the founder of the True Power Institute. She is a speaker, author, conscious leadership and well-being facilitator, and advisor and executive coach to visionary leaders, entrepreneurs, and successful professionals. She is on the vanguard of the new-business paradigm thinking, creating better workplaces, and developing emerging leaders.

Rúna specializes in facilitating conscious leadership, promoting emerging leadership trends, and evolving leaders’ relationships to power — TRUE Power!