My philosophy has always been: whatever you put your attention increases. This is the very reason why I try not to dwell on anything negative for too long. This doesn’t mean that I take a Pollyanna approach to life – far from it, I think I can still be acutely aware of the pain and suffering around me, and yet at the same time not dwell on it.
This is also why I strictly limit the amount of media news coverage I take in. The other day I was at the nail salon, where annoyingly, a huge flat screen blasted out the latest dramas from around the Nation. After flicking through a gossip mag and having to sit through a good hour of scary news, I felt far from refreshed in my Spa chair, and frankly in need of a good meditation – but kids and dogs greeted me as soon as I set foot in the house. So at this time of year, especially, around Thanksgiving, I set aside a few moments every day to make a mental gratitude list.
If I’m really gloomy or stressed-0ut, I’ll reluctantly take out a notebook and do a written gratitude list. This is a discipline that I was taught to do over twenty years ago, and it has served me well through good times and bad. There’s never a day when I can’t find at least ten things I’m really thankful for and once I’ve scribbled the ten down, invariably more come flowing down a channel that had been choked up with self-pity or frustration.
When I make my list, I usually start with the things closest to me, my health (and even if I’m sick, I can find one area of my body which is healthy!), my family, and my close friends and then I move outwards to the people in my community and the global community who help to keep everyone safe and healthy – when I really think about it, there are so many good people in the world, doing great things – we just don’t hear about them very often.
One of the greatest things that comes out of making a thanksgiving list is that my energy changes in a way that I am probably more pleasant for others to be around..I love this John O’Donohue quote:
“If you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.”
― John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
They’ll always be wars, disease, heartbreak, financial woes, but all of this is underpinned by an unfaltering force for Good. A gratitude list can help us tap into that force. I wish everyone in this community a wonderfully happy Thanksgiving.
As always, great post! And what timing! I was feeling sorry for myself and your quote and post helped me to realize it. Thank you!