I don’t know about you but I’m already thinking about the upcoming holidays… and not in a good way. I’m stressing myself out about it actually. This year there will be an empty chair. The empty chair is the one that my mom would have been sitting in, surrounded by friends and family. My mom, affectionately known to many as “Grandma Millie,” was 95 when she died this past March. That’s A LOT of holiday meals with family.  Oh, the feasts she would make.  Our home was always open to those that didn’t seem to have a place to go.  Friends, soldiers, a lone relative.  Everyone was always welcome at our table.  The past few years it was just Mom and a few of us in the nursing home with her.  She was always thankful and loved her favorites of turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberries.   I really didn’t fully understand just how grateful I was at that time. Now that mom is gone, I want more than ever to make every moment a moment where I’m experiencing gratitude. The challenge this year will be to stay in gratitude even though we all will be missing Grandma Millie. I’ve learned a lot about gratitude this past year and I thought we all could use an extra dose of gratitude as we approach the holiday season.

Do you know the difference between being thankful and grateful? I like to think of gratitude as “Thanksgiving in action.” We take what we are thankful for and turn it into an act or deed that eventually will reach beyond ourselves. Gratitude is a reminder when I look in the mirror of all the good in my life and how I need to share that good with others. Gratitude is saying “Hi!” to a perfect stranger. When I live in gratitude I am more mindful of the pleasures I often take for granted. It’s actually pretty simple to live in gratitude! Here are 5 simple ways you can live in gratitude.

  1. Begin your day with GRATITUDE by writing down one thing you will be grateful for in the future. With each future gratitude intention, imagine that it has already happened. How will your life look differently when that intention comes into fruition?
  2. Meet and greet with GRATITUDE by expressing to someone you meet or greet during the day what you really appreciate about that person.
  3. Give the gift of GRATITUDE by giving a small gift of appreciation for someone in your life for whom you are grateful for but don’t express it very often. Bonus: enclose a card with a handwritten note to express what they really mean to you.
  4. Sleep in GRATITUDE by counting your blessings from the day. This leaves you falling asleep with good thoughts in your head instead of all of the things you need to get done the next day.
  5. Create a GRATITUDE board by placing things on it that you are grateful for throughout the month. Be sure to put it in a place in your home where you will see it every day. You can also use your GRATITUDE board as a future GRATITUDE board by placing pictures on it to demonstrate what you are welcoming into your life.

I know the upcoming holidays will feel so much different without mom and I also know that I am grateful for all of the friends and family members who will be around the table this year. Together, we will honor Grandma Millie and best of all, we will honor each other!

I would love to hear how your life changed after starting a daily practice of GRATITUDE. Please email me at emily@25-8leadership.com.

Yours in GRATITUDE,

Emily Lindus

“Let me EM-POWER You!”