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Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Good morning.
This is Laura.
Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is that it is good to be thankful for things.
And it is also good to know that we can make things happen that we can then later be grateful for.
Gratitude doesn't need to be a passive practice.
With a little intention, we can make good things happen for ourselves and the people we care about.
Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, a holiday that is all about giving thanks.
Every November, there are new studies about gratitude practices out there.
Theoretically, counting our blessings can make us healthier, wealthier and wiser, or so the literature goes.
If you look into it, some of this is perhaps a bit overblown.
There is also some counter evidence.
Forcing gratitude practices on kids, for instance, can backfire.
But still, it is good to go through life feeling grateful.
And I think it is also helpful to realize this.
We have some control over having things in our life that we are grateful for not complete control, of course.
But in many cases, gratitude can be a proactive practice.
We can actively put things in our lives that we will then feel thankful to have.
We can go into any day thinking, what would I like to be thankful for at the end of this day?
And we can go into any longer periods of time pondering what we would be thankful for at the end.
For instance, you might know that you'd feel grateful for spending time with a far-flung friend.
So you send her a text to see if she has time to catch up by FaceTime tonight after work.
She says yes.
You talk.
And wow, now you have something to be thankful for.
You might know that you would feel grateful for being able to run a problem past a friendly colleague and get her sage advice.
So you send her a message to see if she can grab coffee during a break this afternoon.
You know you would be grateful for a festive night spent out with friends in December.
So you send around a poll on dates to make it happen.
After you make these things happen in your life, you will feel happy and grateful that they are there.
Now, maybe some of this happiness and gratitude will be self-congratulatory, but gratitude is still gratitude.
There is definitely a place for being grateful for the many gifts in life that we have nothing to do with, like being born into a free and prosperous society or, for some of my listeners at least, winning the lottery of having healthy kids.
Those are all things that we should give frequent thanks for.
But alongside those things, we can celebrate how much agency we do have over our lives.
Not to feel bad about those things that don't go right, but to celebrate what does.
If you would be grateful to have something happen in your life Go, do what you can to make that happen.
My guess is that there is a lot you can do.
In the meantime, this is Laura.
Thanks for listening.
And here's to making the most of our time.
Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at laura at lauravandercam.com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeart Media.
For more podcasts from iHeart Media, please visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
This week's episode of Next Chapter, I, T.D.
Jakes, sit down with Denzel Washington, a two-time Academy Award winning actor and cultural icon.
I don't take any credit for it.
I just didn't put me first.
I just put God first and he's carrying me.
Listen to the Next Chapter podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hi, I'm Dr. Priyanka Wally.
And I'm Hari Kundabolu.
On our new podcast, Health Stuff, we demystify your burning health questions.
You'll hear us being completely honest about our own health.
My residency colon was like a cry for help, honestly.
And you'll hear candid advice and personal stories from experts who want to make healthcare more human.
I feel like I never felt like I truly belonged in medicine.
We want to make health less confusing and maybe even a little fun.
Find Health Stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
This is an iHeart Podcast.
Guaranteed human.
