Express Your Gratitude—Communicate Your Appreciation!!
Although Thanksgiving this year is very different for most of us, with many of us (including me) spending it home alone, it doesn’t mean it will be less joyful or less celebratory. One way you can make this Thanksgiving memorable is to actually communicate with the people who have been meaningful in your life by calling them and telling them how they helped, changed, and/or enhanced your life. The Science of Happiness experiment on gratitude has demonstrated that expressing your gratitude not only elevates the happiness of the one you are telling, but it also elevates your own happiness up to 19%. I believe it can be even more than that when you sincerely express your gratitude.
Here are my suggestions for increasing love, joy, and peace in our world this Thanksgiving:
- Write down the names of significant people in your life. Who were the people who influenced you or in some way impacted your life? Choose at least one and even more if you want to spread more love.
- After each name, write down why you are grateful for them, what they did or said, and explain how it helped you in your life. It could be a parent, a teacher, a friend, a lover, a sister, a brother, or even a rival.
- Now, call them on the phone and tell them why you are grateful for them and what they did that made your life better. The very act of communication increases the happiness for both of you. It is a win-win experience and yet, most of us don’t do it.
In summary, too often we think about others and even appreciate them in our hearts, but we don’t tell them very often. We assume they know. We can extend love and joy with simple expressions from our hearts. I call this “Loveshine.” The sun produces sunshine—our hearts produce “Loveshine.”
