We would be remiss on Thanksgiving Day (in the United States) not to talk about the power of gratitude. So, today, in this special bonus episode, we are diving into the power of gratitude, how to be more grateful, gratitude questions to ask, and all things thankful.
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Show Notes and Transcript
Hey, hey friend! Welcome to Episode #34 and this super special bonus episode of The Secrets of Supermom Show! We would be remiss on Thanksgiving Day in the United States not to talk a little bit about the power of gratitude. So, today, in this special bonus episode, we are diving into the power of gratitude and all things “thanks”.
The Power of Gratitude
Why should we practice gratitude? Does it give us a benefit? Does it make us feel better?
Actually, YES! Research shows that feeling and showing gratitude actually improves your health, strengthens your relationships, and makes you happier. I mean, yes please, amiright.
How to be More Grateful Every Day
As gratitude and the research in positive psychology have exploded over the last decade, many people have started what we often call a “gratitude practice”. Much like a yoga practice where you must be consistent and continue the work to go deeper, gratitude must be practiced. You can’t just be thankful on Thanksgiving–though if you’re just getting started, Thanksgiving is as good a day as any to put this practice into place.
The practice of looking for things every day that makes you feel grateful helps you get better at it and go deeper. You start to look for things that bring that feeling of appreciation, joy, and thankfulness. You start to find things you never noticed before. You start to go deeper in your relationships. You start to release grudges. You start to focus on positivity and solutions instead of problems and complaints.
If you don’t already have this practice in place, start today and add it to a routine you already have going (This is called habit stacking, and we talked about that all the way back in Episode #2). Maybe you think of one thing you are grateful for each day while you brush your teeth at night. Maybe you write down three things that you are grateful for in your planner each morning while you review your day. Maybe you share one thing with your family at dinner each night. In our family, we call this best/worst where we share a win of the day and a struggle of the day.
By making your gratitude practice intentional, you get better at finding things to be grateful for. You practice. And I promise, if you are looking, there are so many things to be thankful for every day.
I know that some people will recommend writing down five or ten things you are grateful for. To be honest, I prefer just one. When I am writing down ten things, I tend to put the same things over and over. My kids. Jeremy. But when I choose just one, I am very intentional about choosing one very specific thing that I am grateful for over the last day. And if I want to add in more that day, I totally can. I also think adding one, quick thing to your habits is much easier than trying to go big and add ten.
Gratitude isn’t about big things. It doesn’t have to be your family or your partner or your health or your home. It can be small moments. It can be happy accidents. It can be the tiniest joy. You might be grateful that your client gave you a raving review. You might be grateful that your spouse winked at you from across the kitchen while making dinner. You might be grateful that your teenager gave you an unexpected hug. You might be grateful that you hit all the green lights on the way home.
Gratitude Questions to Ask Today and Each Day
In honor of today actually being Thanksgiving, here are some sample gratitude questions you can ask yourself–and your family, too–today and every day.
- Who is one person you are grateful to have in your life and why?
- Why is today better than yesterday?
- What is one thing you are glad you did this year?
- What food are you thankful exists?
- What place are you thankful to have visited?
- What trait about you are you most thankful to have?
- What is the tiniest thing you can think of that makes you feel grateful?
- What is the biggest thing you can think of that makes you feel grateful?
- What is one thing you use every day that you are grateful to have?
- What compliment are you thankful to have received this year?
My Message to YOU!
To wrap up today, I want to share with you just how grateful I am for YOU. Thank you for being here and listening in every week. And if today is your first episode, thank you for choosing this very podcast. Thank you for reading and sharing my book. Thank you for sharing the podcast with other supermoms in your life. Thank you for your questions, your feedback, your reviews and your honesty. Thank you for sharing your struggles and your wins and your goals with me. Thank you for being you. My biggest, most heartfelt thank you.
