Try This 5-Day Gratitude Challenge

This is the week that people everywhere focus on gratitude and saying thanks.

And gratitude is something terrific to make your focus, as I have written about in the past.

And still, I continue to learn about gratitude.

There’s a deeper layer to explore

For most of my life, my thoughts about gratitude were like those of most people.

I was grateful for a wonderful family, for having a comfortable home, for delicious healthy food (especially when sitting at a Thanksgiving table), for great friends, and whatever recent vacation I had just enjoyed.

My recent revelation about gratitude came from a friend and colleague, Dr. Paul Jenkins, who is a prominent Positive Psychology expert.

To take gratitude to a deeper and more powerful level, you begin by thinking about something you never wanted to have happen.

For instance, you or someone you love may have been stricken with illness. Maybe you lost a job, or had a romantic breakup, or you were in the path of a natural disaster.

With such an event in mind, think about something for which you can be grateful, such as something that you learned, some new relationship you formed, some opportunity that showed up for you, an unexpected positive outcome.

It may be hard to find a kernel of gratitude, yet there is ultimately something in every event that can be appreciated.

And when you are able to find that gratitude, your heart opens wider and your outlook on life is boosted.

I have found that the old saying that when one door closes another opens, has proven to be true— though sometimes it requires some distance and perspective to be able to see that truth.

Dr. Paul Jenkins suggests that you look for five such moments of gratitude for things that didn’t go well, and do that every day for five days. He says that the benefits of identifying that much deep gratitude can significantly change your life.

Why not try it after yourself this Thanksgiving week and see what happens for you. Email me, I’d love to hear your thoughts.