Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

2020 has been a year. With all that has happened it can be easy to think the whole year was trash. But was it really? As I look back at all that has happened personally and throughout the world it can be easy to forget just how much has actually gone right. I lost my grandma and didn’t get the chance to go to the funeral because of this pandemic. And that’s only one of the many losses of the year. Let’s not even talk about all the social and political unrest that has swept over this Nation! But despite of all this:

  • I’ve been blessed with a new position
  • God healed my knee
  • I got a new nephew and he’s adorable
  • I had time to build this website and my business
  • The little things in life have been covered

And that’s a short list. There is tons to be thankful for! I have a whole journal of what God has done in this past year and ya’ll though it’s been rough there is still much to be thankful for. I don’t tell you a bit of my wins to brag but to force you to look and do the same. Look at your year! I’m sure there is something to be thankful about. The fact that we’re still here is testament enough. You are here! And because of that you have something to be thankful for and something to look forward to. 

And you know gratitude can change your whole outlook? Research shows that when we think about things to be grateful or thankful about it changes things in our brain chemistry and our body! I even found an article that lays out tons of research about what thankfulness does. Here’s few of the things that stuck out to me:

  • It straight up makes us happier! Taking stock of the good things in life apparently makes us feel more positively about life in general.
  • It makes people like us. 
  • Now this may only intrigue you if you want to be liked by people haha!
  • It makes us more effective managers and can improve decision making. 
  • And it can help us heal physically through reducing depressive symptoms, reducing blood pressure, and improving your sleep (which is tied to many parts of good health)

Now with all of this being thankful and writing down all the good things that have happened has to be more appealing right? I encourage you to take real stock of your year and begin to write down the things that you are grateful for! And at the end of this exercise I bet you’ll have a different perspective of 2020!

PS, this will also help you in figuring out how to steward your life well! Coming from a perspective of thankfulness it’s easier to hope for a new tomorrow and build those life plans and goals that will get you there!