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Happy Thanksgiving! Gratitude Quotes & Thoughts

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you living in the US, and a wonderful day to everyone else! And a few thoughts about Gratitude and why it’s so important. Plus some of my favorite Gratitude Quotes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Some people asked me during the last few days whether I celebrated Thanksgiving where I came from (Germany). And the thing is this…

Thanksgiving in the form celebrated in the US is a uniquely American thing. But giving thanks during harvest season is not.

In fact, when I grew up, there were all sorts of harvest festivals, which involved expressing gratitude for a good harvest: Erntedankfest – festival to give thanks for the harvest!

And I know they have them down under too – except they’re in spring, which is THEIR fall.

The Importance of Being Thankful

So no matter where you are, now is a good time for giving some thoughts to what you might be thankful for.

Don’t have much to be thankful for? Think again. If you can read this, you have plenty of reason to be thankful, for your eyesight, your health, your roof over your head, the food in your fridge, and the loved ones around you, or even those that might be a phone call away.

While I don’t want to think of expressing gratitude in a way that’s too utilitarian, i.e., too focused on the benefits it brings, it won’t hurt to be aware that being grateful is just plain good for you.

Not only is it good for your health, it’s good for reducing stress, and it raises your vibrations. Your brain cannot be upset and thankful at the same time, so focus on giving thanks and you feel better fast.

And feeling better in turn brings better things into your life.

Gratitude and Advanced Manifesting

In my last post, I wrote about Tara Springett’s book, Advanced Manifesting. Just scroll down to find it, or click on the “Last post” link at the beginning of this post.

Yes, she wrote quite a bit about gratitude. But she didn’t stop there. She had the ultimate of gratitude exercises…

Being grateful for the bad stuff. Or rather, the stuff you didn’t like. For when things didn’t go according to plan.

It’s a bit like Abraham-Hicks’s “positive aspects” exercise – no matter how much you dislike something or it rubs you the wrong way, find positive aspects about the situation or person or thing.

Expressing gratitude can be approached the same way: No matter how something is going against your wishes, find something about it that you can be grateful for.

Gratitude when things don’t go well…

I used to gripe a lot about how challenging my life was when I found/find myself in a financially tight spot. And yet, there’s always opportunity for gratitude.

Like one of my friends likes to say – these are growth opportunities. And I meet interesting people and come across valuable information I wouldn’t have found if things had been easier. I have learned new skills (and continue to learn new ones) and those new skills have opened up surprising opportunities.

So spend some time thinking about what good things might have come out of situations you weren’t very thankful for at the time.

And then express your gratitude.



Gratitude Quotes

Here are a few cool gratitude quotes I have come across over the last few days:

“Gratitude makes sense of our past,
brings peace for today
and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

– Melody Beattie

“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.”
– Eric Hoffer

“Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life.”
– Christiane Northrup

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”
– Margaret Cousins

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”
– Brian Tracy

“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”
– Epictetus

“Go to foreign countries and you will get to know the good things one possesses at home.”
– Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

And Another Gratitude Quote…

And then, here’s probably the most important one – the reminder that we need to EXPRESS our gratitude for it to bring real benefits:

“Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.”
-G.B. Stern

In keeping with Stern’s quote, be sure to tell your loved ones how much you appreciate them.

And I want to tell you how much I appreciate you for visiting me here and reading my musings.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving Day!

Elisabeth