Keep It Coming

    So Thanksgiving is over, even if the leftovers still abound.  Don't lose that spirit of thankfulness, though.  We can be so aware of what we are thankful for right before a holiday, but like our appetite for those leftovers, we may find ourselves less enthusiastic as the days go on.  Try to get into the habit of gratitude.  Reconsider the way you look at your life and what happens in it every day.  Do you consciously look for good things?  Many of us are conditioned problem seekers and finders.  We know it is easier to avert a problem than to deal with it after it happens.  That makes us more alert to the negative than to the positive.
    Make it your new habit to see the good in things.  The things to appreciate.  You would think that you would naturally gravitate to that but, unless a thing is out of proportion in it's goodness to the usual, we just don't seem to notice.  Just look at your surroundings.  Find one thing that is pleasing to you.  It may be a pretty leaf, an photograph of your family or a dog looking at you like you're the smartest person on the planet.  Whatever it is, would you have noticed it if you weren't trying?  Maybe not, right?  So get in the habit of deliberate appreciation. 
    There is a post on Leadership Now called Gratitude-Is That A Stone On The Hill?  It talks about seeing the small problem in the big accomplishment and missing the accomplishment. 
    Is it just human nature to be more aware of the foibles than the successes?  So, what if it is?  Learn to circumvent human nature.  Reprogram yourself to tune in to the positive and express gratitude for it.  It's the best way to keep it coming.