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WEEKLY COLUMN BY DAVID BENTLEY

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BEING THANKFUL

Thanksgiving week is here, but many of us may be finding it difficult to be thankful. It's not easy to have an attitude of gratitude when the the media bombards us with news of terrible events around the world and people we know face financial difficulties, unemployment, or life-threatening illness. Yet this is the time of year we've set aside for giving thanks.

Psychologists tell us that people who experience ongoing happiness and contentment tend to be grateful and appreciative for what is around them. If being thankful is a key to happiness and contentment, how does one become thankful? Here are some activities that help me:

  • Making a list. Each night, before going to sleep, I write in my journal all the things I am grateful for that day. The next morning I reread the list, reminding myself of the gratitude I felt the day before.

  • Doing something for someone else. When I quit focusing on myself and open my eyes to the needs of others, I often discover that my challenges pale in difficulty compared to the challenges others face.

  • Looking backwards. Seeing where I came from often shows me that I've come farther than I thought. I don't dwell on the past, but I don't forget it. Without past lessons, I wouldn't be where I am today.

    For this, I am grateful.

  • Experiencing the awe of nature. The beauty, complex simplicity, and harmony I find in nature can make even my most negative emotions melt away.

Worry about situations over which we have no control and denial about situations over which we do have control can keep us from being grateful. The things for which I can be grateful are all around me. The trick is to find a way to allow myself to see them. When I do, I find happiness and contentment waiting for me.

  • What situations are keeping you from being thankful?

  • Which ones can you do something about?

  • Which ones are beyond your control?

  • How will you allow yourself to be thankful today and everyday?

© 2002 David Bentley

David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world.

He can be reached by phone at 360.378.8436

by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com

or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com

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