If you’re not yet familiar with the Tyler Trent story, you should be.  As a young man who is battling cancer and fighting for his life, he epitomizes what it means when Scripture says to be thankful in all circumstances.  I truly admire this young man and what he has been able to do, despite his physical limitations. I encourage you to take a few minutes to learn more about his story.  It will inspire you to think differently about your own life. You can read his story here.    

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, we are approaching the one day of the year where “being thankful” is what most people strive to be.  This is a great thing, and I hope you will have many great examples to share why you are thankful. However, the idea of “giving thanks” is not only a great tradition to celebrate one day a year, but it is also essential to make this a daily practice for the rest of the year.

Being thankful takes work.  That is worth repeating— being thankful takes work.  Our human minds tend to focus on the negative. When it comes to problem solving, considering the negative can actually be a good thing, but if you find yourself operating mostly through a negative mindset, it will be nearly impossible to not only have an “attitude of gratitude” throughout the year but also to be able to navigate all the challenges we often face in life successfully.   

I battled a negative mindset early in my adult life.  When things didn’t go my way, I allowed my negative thoughts to fester, and after a while, it became just normal to think about my life this way.  It wasn’t healthy, and it held me back from where God wanted me to be. It took awhile, but I finally figured it out. I decided I wasn’t going to let this mindset have power over me anymore.  And you can, too.

When we consciously strengthen our “gratitude” muscles, we can live above our circumstances, be thankful, and experience the life we were meant to have.  When you start to have negative emotions, consider the thoughts you are having. Recognize these negative thought patterns: “never going to happen, nothing is ever going to change, there is no way, I will never, I guess I am just meant to be this way, nothing good happens to me…..”

Inevitably, you will be thinking about a thing that went wrong or that you wish different in some way and these thoughts come rushing in.  It’s not easy to not be overcome with negativity, so challenging this mindset takes time.  But the first step is being able to recognize when it is starting and then take action to stop it.  It might be as simple as turning off what is feeding you bad information (maybe the news or social media).  The old saying “garbage in, garbage out” holds true for many people. For others, it may require other steps.     

Being thankful isn’t only about what we don’t put into our minds, it’s also about what we do.  Here’s a short list of things you “can do” to help switch your mindset from a negative cycle into a positive one— and that encourages an environment where being thankful thrives:

• Watch an uplifting movie (try the Hallmark Channel)
• Connect with your creative side
• Volunteer at a homeless shelter
• Read Scripture
• Give someone a compliment
• Send an encouraging text
• Write down one thing you’re grateful for each day

An attitude of thankfulness goes hand in hand with giving it away.  The more we give it away, and think more about others than ourselves, you will be amazed how much more thankful we will become.  Try connecting with the things in your life that fill you up, that get you excited about living, and watch your attitude shift in dramatic ways.

As the holidays are fast approaching, it can be challenging for many people to be grateful. Tough relationships, regrets, financial stress, health issues— can all feel magnified this time of year.  But by practicing the strategies above, you will help keep your mind focused on the right things and grow your attitude of gratitude despite whatever challenges you may be facing.  

I am thankful for YOU, our readers! We do it for you, and we are blessed to see our community grow when you share our posts.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Your Virtual Life Mentor,

Doug