Thankfulness All Year Long

Thankfulness All Year Long

Here at True Balance Karate in Downers Grove, Illinois, we have a social-emotional learning program called True Character. I am Master H, the owner and chief instructor here at the studio. I have two master’s degrees in education, and we have developed this curriculum to meet the needs of our youngest students who are three or four, and our oldest student who is 85.

Recap

This month we have been talking about thankfulness. We started off the month defining it as being happy and grateful for all that we have. Then, we continued by talking about who and what we are thankful for—the people in our lives as well as the things they do for us or the things we have. Last week, we talked about how we show thankfulness and how we accept it, acknowledging that sometimes accepting gratitude might feel awkward, but we should treat it with respect, understanding, and gratefulness. It doesn’t have to be a big thing; we just show it and accept it.

How we show gratitude

This week we’re talking about how we can take that thankfulness and demonstrate it, share it, and show it throughout the whole year. It is fairly simple: it’s just a matter of having our eyes open, being aware, and using our thank you words as often as we can.

We can also incorporate some other ideas and tricks. Maybe we leave a journal next to our bed, and before we go to sleep, we write three things that we were thankful for. Then we can look back on it throughout the year and remember those moments. This can help create a memory journal along with a thankfulness journal.

Maybe we have daily talks, like at dinner or, in our family’s case, at breakfast since we teach karate in the evenings. Whatever that family moment is for you, have that daily conversation where everyone shares one thing they are thankful for. It can be a good conversation starter. I sometimes have these conversations with the kids in the car, reviewing what was really good about the day.

Another idea is to have a thankfulness jar. That daily conversation can turn into writing on a post-it note and putting it in the jar, watching it fill up with positive moments.

We can also show thankfulness by volunteering our time. At the studio, we ask our black belt candidates to volunteer and give back to the community that has given them so much. They’ve done activities like pulling weeds in the forest preserve, picking up garbage at parks, and helping out at the Humane Society.

Giving is another way to show thankfulness. During the holiday season, we might donate extra toys, or in the summer, we might do a food drive. It’s about giving because we are thankful for what we have and want to help those less fortunate.

Helping others is also important. For example, in Illinois, we get a lot of snow. Last year, I saw my neighbor shoveling snow after his snowblower broke. My husband and I helped him clear the rest of his driveway.

Carrying it forward

Being thankful is about having your eyes open, being aware, seeing where you can give of yourself, making mental notes, writing about it, and sharing it with others. Keeping this mindset throughout the year adds to the positivity and helps build positive relationships.

I encourage you to continue thankfulness the whole year long.

Thanks, and I’ll see you on the mat!

True Balance Karate was founded in 2012 by Master Sue and Paul Helsdon.

We offer kids karate lessons for pre-school children ages 3-6 and elementary age kids ages 7 and up. These lessons are designed to develop the critical building blocks kids need — specialized for their age group — for school excellence and later success in life.

Our adult martial arts training is a complete adult fitness and conditioning program for adults who want to lose weight, get (and stay) in shape, or learn self-defense in a supportive environment.

Instructors can answer questions or be contacted 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week at 630-663-2000. You can also contact us here. True Balance Karate is at 406 Ogden Ave Downers Grove Illinois, 60515 (next to CVS) Check out our Facebook!