Not feeling very thankful this Thanksgiving.  Feeling pinched by the stress and strain of our sluggish economy.  Or maybe even out of work.  STOP!  Stop before you waste this awesome opportunity to feel better and recognize that even though you may have experienced some significant challenges and setbacks this year, you probably still have a lot to be thankful for.  No, I’m not talking about donning a pair of “rose colored glasses” and accepting everything as OK.  What I’m suggesting is that by taking personal responsibility for your thankfulness, you might just be surprised.
 
Still not sure.  Well, my experience is that often to regain my feelings of gratitude, I have to get out of myself and act my way into the right way of feeling.  Here are a few ACTIONS that might just rekindle your “Attitude of Gratitude”:

• Make a gratitude list: Take out a piece of paper and jot down 10-20 things you are thankful for.  Commit to do this daily until you wake up feeling grateful.
• Volunteer: Thanksgiving is a great time to visit a shelter and volunteer to help feed those truly less fortunate than you.  Or maybe they’re not less fortunate, but this is still a great way to get out of yourself and think about someone else’s well being for a few hours.
• Smile and say Thank-You.  These two actions often renew our gratitude when the same smile and thank-you are returned to us.
• Donate to a charity like Crisis Ministries in Charleston.
• Watch this video and take its suggestions.

Author Melody Beattie says “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.”
 
So what are your grateful for?