Thanksgiving & Gratitude – Threshold of Brilliance – Episode 20 – November 20 2023 We are nearing a time where so many families will gather together around a turkey dinner and give thanks for what they have. The holiday was inspired by a story our mythology tells us of a harvest feast shared by English colonists (Pilgrims) and the indigenous Wampanoag people in 1621. Today’s podcast focuses on the benefits for each of us in giving thanks for, or expressing gratitude for, our gifts, talents, treasures, relationships and experiences. There is a myriad of benefits to thankfulness and gratitude, yet most of us do not have a regular practice with these two simple concepts. Join us as we explore the concept that fostered one of our most treasured…and dreaded… holidays – thanksgiving and gratefulness. 1. Just the thought of a traditional thanksgiving gathering inspires joy, and dread – why does it evoke such strong emotions…good and bad? 2. How do we transform the day into a consistently positive one? 3. What is the difference between thankfulness and gratitude? 4. So, which is better to express thankfulness or gratitude? 5. What are some practical ways to begin this? 6. What's the right amount of gratitude? SHOW NOTES: Just the thought of a traditional thanksgiving gathering inspires joy, and dread – why does it evoke such strong emotions…good and bad? To better understand Thanksgiving and Gratitude, start by listening to our previous episodes on Anger – Brad Since COVID, the world has turned upside down and anger seems to have risen, and tension around Thanksgiving gatherings can trigger those thoughts even more. – Brad 50% of our perceptions are not the truth, but we still blame other issues for the tension, not their own sensations. – Brad Our imaginations, memories, and emotions get triggered during Thanksgiving more than just about any other time. – Brad The holiday season, whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate, carries a lot of family traditions and expectations that heighten tension. Then society, media and movies, talk about them in such glowing terms that are impossible to achieve, and it puts all of us under stress. – John We feel we have to make it perfect and if one thing goes wrong, the day is shot to hell. It’s an impossible standard. We look forward to that ideal, but knowing it can never be attained, we end up dreading it. – John Expectations unmet, especially the ones we put on ourselves, are almost always trigger to us. The key to diffusing that is to look at what the day is supposed to actually be about. It’s not about perfection, it’s about celebrating the gifts we’ve been given – who you are, who you’re with, where you are, and whatever situation you’re in. It’s about celebrating what you have right now. – John When you first wake up in the morning, start by giving thanks for all the good things in your life. If you do that just when you’re waking up, you’re speaking directly into your subconscious, which can change habits for the better. – Brad The media, and society, puts an external pressure on us to make Thanksgiving perfect, and none of us can live up to it. We know we can’t live up to it, yet we feel like we have to try to live up to that. It ends up short-circuiting our ability to actually connect with the people around us at Thanksgiving. – John If you look past the mythology around Thanksgiving, and toward what it was really about, it was celebrating survival, and what it took to survive. Looking at why we gather, the real meaning, and it helps diffuse the tension. – John It’s not the externals of the day you’re going to look back on and remember with joy, it’s the people, and your connections to them, that are important. - John What is the difference between thankfulness and gratitude? Gratefulness is a feeling of expressed gratitude, while thankfulness means experiencing pleasure, satisfaction, or delight. One’s and experience, and the other is a feeling. – Brad Thankfulness is the experience, gratitude is the feeling you get from that experience. - John Gratefulness is independent, deep and long-term. Thankfulness is dependent, surface level and short-lived. – Brad Practicing gratitude everyday will change our lives. – Brad When you combine thankfulness, and gratitude, now you have a moment of transformation. Those moments are what you will remember. - John What are some of the benefits of thankfulness and gratitude? Changing a negative attitude to a positive one, through gratitude, can create a huge improvement in performance. – Brad If you can visualize your gratitude, even if you haven’t experienced it yet, and expand it to your entire life, that celebration will positively change you than just about anything else. – Brad Just thinking about it elevates you and you can do that at any point in ...
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