Are You Thankful for Your Family (the good and the bad)?

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I woke up this morning, extremely excited, extremely happy, and extremely energetic! That may be the way you wake up every morning, but I have to admit that hasn’t been my mornings as of late. I’ve not been looking forward to each day, some mornings I’ve been down, and most mornings I’ve been lacking energy.

Have you been there before? Have you gotten into this rut of “blah?” Been in a season of being stuck, uninspired, frustrated with your life, your marriage, or your circumstances? If so, you may be struggling with the same thing that landed me there. The good news is the “fix” is simple. And today, there is no shortage of it around you. You just need to embrace it and practice it yourself.

What changed with me

All week long, really all month long, there have been words, images, and expressions of gratitude. While it may not be the norm the other 11 months of the year, it is the norm during the month of November. As I began to think about my change in attitude and energy, I realized how I’ve been encouraged by the gratitude around me and it’s caused me to join in.

The past several weeks have been challenging as our family entered a new season (stay tuned for blog posts on this coming soon). It’s taken us out of our comfort zones, it’s limited the time we have together, and it’s stretched and stressed us in many areas.

While this new season is hard there are some amazing things happening now and more that will happen as we continue. Instead of being thankful the past several weeks I’d been focused on the challenges, what we’ve given up, and what we’ll no longer get to experience. It drained me. It frustrated me. It even made me bitter on occasion.

Gratitude leads the way

This week I read a new book from my friend and mentor, Michael Hyatt, which shares insights of some highly successful people. One insight and key to a successful life, family, and business which stood out to me was — you guessed it — “expressing gratitude!”

An article in Forbes magazine says there are 7 scientifically proven benefits of gratitude. I’ve listed three below that I’ve experienced since I’ve started to express gratitude more.

  • Better relationships. Marriage has been tough and this dad of a teenage daughter has struggled with this new season. But recently I’ve been thankful for each moment and I’ve expressed both to my wife and daughter the things I love and appreciate about them.
  • Better sleep. Today is the perfect example of that. I woke up energetic, not drained, not sluggish, but ready to get out of the bed and jump right into today. And it wasn’t because it’s a holiday or a non-work day. But just because. And as you can see I’m up “working,” doing what I love even though I don’t have to.
  • Better self-esteem. You may have noticed I haven’t written a lot lately on my blog. Honestly, I haven’t felt like it. At times I’ve questioned whether I should continue. I felt I wasn’t able to help you or anybody since I was struggling myself. But being thankful showed me a lot of good in my life that can help you in your life.

So, Happy Thanksgiving! I encourage you to express gratitude today and every day! And watch the impact it’ll have on your life, your marriage, your family, and everything!

[callout]I mentioned one of the strategies in Michael Hyatt’s new eBook, Achieve What Matters Most in 2017: 8 Strategies Super-Successful People Are Using to Accomplish More Next Year. You can get a free copy for a limited time. Go here to get your copy today.[/callout]

[reminder]What are you thankful for today?[/reminder]

Nov 24, 2016