Halloween has come to an end, anyone else already whipping out the Christmas carols? I’m always the first to pull up some Michael Buble (or this year John Legend who just released his Christmas Album last week!) Maybe I’m just overzealous, maybe I’m just using Christmas to get me through my homesickness. I’ve already seen multiple complaints on social media about Thanksgiving activists who are upset about the dissing of the holiday. I understand where they’re coming from. Being thankful is a practice that’s often thrown out the window in the craziness of the everyday. That’s why I’ve decided to make the month of November a month of gratitude. Ideally, I would be thankful always, but habits take time to form. Maybe by practicing a thankful mindset this month, it will overflow into the future.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m very thankful for my life, the people in it, and the blessings I’ve received. It’s an easy thing to say and believe, but how many times a day do I actually stop to consider these things with an attitude of gratefulness?
I see a need for gratitude in many places of my life, but one that I want to focus on is being grateful for the present. I find myself always looking forward to the next season of life. It’s all too easy in college to be planning for your next week, semester, or year. I think I take planning too far and forget to appreciate the moment that I’m currently in. It’s especially ironic when I remember that the moment I’m in took so much planning and hard work, and I’m just letting it slip by while planning for the next thing. I think this negative practice has been really getting me down lately.
I’m planning on graduating next semester, and all I can think about is making sure have a job when that happens. This is a legitimate concern, but I’m studying abroad in Italy right now and I’ve put years of planning, working, and saving into this semester. Shouldn’t I at least stop for a minute or two and appreciate the moment I’m in? That’s the new goal. Not to dismiss planning altogether (I could never) but to be able to put planning away for a little bit every day, specifically for the purpose of being thankful.
So what am I going to do? This month I’m going to appreciate the present and the work that got me here. I’m a big fan of meditation, so my goal is to spend 5 minutes in the morning creating an attitude of appreciation and gratitude for the people around me and the people back home.
This doesn’t just have to be my journey. I hope that I’ve encouraged you to be thankful this month as well. Thankfulness is key to a positive mindset and I truly believe that my insecurities, doubts and moments of anger would be minimized by an attitude of gratitude. What are you thankful for?
