Thanksgiving is coming which means it’s time to pull our our pumpkins and start thinking of answers to the classic “what are you thankful for” dinner-table question!
But here’s a thought: What what if we asked this question daily instead of just once a year?
It’s well worth our time. Thanksgiving is a discipline that, when practiced, leads to a rich and creative life.
5 Ways Thanksgiving Is A Creative Practice
Giving thanks can look like lots of different things! One of my favorite practices is to keep a simple, ongoing list of one thing I am thankful for everyday. These items can anything, big or small! My morning coffee or tea frequently makes the list 🙂
Regardless of what our habits of giving thanks may look like, it can have several positive impacts.
1. Having an attitude of plenty allows us to trust our muse.
Thanksgiving is the practice of recognizing good in our lives.
There are times when we feel like we have a limited number of ideas, that we need to protect our creativity and lock it up so it doesn’t get away. That we need to be afraid that if we mess something up that we will never get another chance.
Instead, what if we trusted that there would be plenty of chances and a never ending supply of ideas?
Giving thanks regularly helps us to see that, whether big or small, there is no limit to good.
Recognizing that there is plenty allows us to relax, to use up all of our best ideas trusting that more will come, and grants us the ability to create without fear.
2. Feeding our mental and creative well prevents burnout.
Thanksgiving is a way to regroup and to focus on the positive things around us.
Sometimes we get tired and burned out from our work and our lives. Sometimes we don’t even recognize when it’s happening!
Taking time to reflect and give thanks can be a useful way to do a quick heart-check of sorts. And when we think of things we are thankful for it can provide nourishment to our inner selves and feed our muse.
3. Thanksgiving allows us to dream.
Unless we believe there is good in the world it can be hard to dream. The practice of thanksgiving teaches us to recognize the successes and positives in life and reminds us that all things are possible!
4. Giving thanks teaches joy.
Our brains can be pretty negative places sometimes. It can be easy to get sucked into downward spirals and dark thoughts.
But sometimes the discipline of giving thanks can actually teach our brains to be more positive. How cool is that? While thanksgiving alone may not be the sole cure of all our mental struggles, it can certainly be a valuable step on our journey of self wellness.
5. It gets us writing!
A traditional way of practicing giving thanks is to make a list of things we’re thankful for. Guess what this does? It gets our butts in our chairs and our pens on the paper!
And writing promotes more writing.
I’d encourage us all not to save all our thanksgiving for turkey-day but to practice it as a creative discipline year round. It doesn’t need to be anything complicated but it can have big results! Happy writing!
