Why Every Day Should be Treated Like Thanksgiving (And How You Can Manifest What You Want)

As Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s difficult to not think about what you’re grateful for, especially since the end of the year draws closer. The year has flown by!

Sure, being seated at a big table surrounded by friends and family prompts us to say we’re grateful for various things: health, happiness, family and friends among them.

What if we could turn every day into Thanksgiving? What if I said that it could help you make sense of your past, bring yourself peace and create a vision for the tomorrow that we want to have?

I’m the first to admit that I’m not an authority on this subject, but I’m pretty sure that those are all things that people want to have right? Correct me if I’m wrong.

So what is this fantastical tool, you ask?

Write gratitude statements every day. Or at least every week. I try to do it every day, but I don’t always make the time, unfortunately.

Now, I am aware that this may not be the right thing for everyone. And if it’s not for you, that’s fine. Take little steps to find something else. We are all unique and we all operate differently.

In response to one of my many emails filled with questions and struggles, my coach sent me a lengthy email (that I will be paraphrasing liberally), which included the following quote:

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

Melody Beattie

I had been exposed to the idea of gratitude before; I had been told that I should be grateful, that I should keep a gratitude diary and write gratitude statements every day, and that it would benefit me, but I never understood why. And when I would ask why, people would just say things like “just because”

Seeing this quote gave me my why. I think we can all agree that the quote is a much better explanation than “just because.”

Who wouldn’t want to turn confusion into clarity?

Writing gratitude statements helps with those things (or at least it’s helped me). It helps me maintain a more positive outlook, and it helps me be grateful for things I want in my future, even if I don’t have them yet. (Yes, this technique works for the future as well.)

This doesn’t mean, however, that writing gratitude statements every day will give you everything you’ve ever wished for in life. But being grateful does work in mysterious ways.

For example, a few days ago, I was overwhelmed with anxiety about going to an early appointment and getting the paperwork I needed.

I wrote a gratitude statement about how I was grateful to have the paperwork even though it overwhelmed me with anxiety, and the next day, I walked out of the office in the morning with the paperwork feeling grateful.

It’s a bit early for resolutions for the new year, but I’ve resolved to keep writing gratitude statements. It’s a nice way to keep myself positive and present.

What are you grateful for this holiday season? Any other simple techniques you use to keep you grounded and positive in a busy time? I’d love to know!