Gratitude is the Key to Happiness!

Every November at KFMA, we put a special focus on being thankful for all that we have, recognizing that Gratitude is the Key to Happiness! For our students, this begins by providing them with our monthly life skills worksheet, and asking them to list their God-given talents and abilities for which they are thankful, and then to create a short list of their other blessings. They are also asked to specifically identify people for whom they are grateful.

We live in a society of rampant consumerism, and every form of media is constantly promoting the idea that ‘more is better,’ and encouraging us to buy the newest and most-advanced offerings the commercial world has for sale. For example, look at the commercials for new phones when the holidays roll around, new vehicles at the end of the year, or the most convenient way to have ready-made meals delivered to your doorstep. This produces a mindset of always wanting something different, hoping that will improve how we feel about ourselves and about life. This worldly mindset is simply a non-ending path to never being content.

Gratitude is at the other end of the spectrum, and it has proven mental and physical benefits backed by scientific research.

The Benefits of Gratitude

Emotional Benefits

From an emotional standpoint, gratitude reduces depression and anxiety by shifting our thoughts from negative to positive. According to the American Brain Foundation, “Psychologically, expressing and receiving thanks can be enormously validating, and your brain rewards you for it by releasing neurotransmitters (organic chemicals for transmitting signals through the nervous system) that make you feel happier.” https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/does-gratitude-rewire-your-brain/

Physical Benefits of Gratitude

Remember the movie White Christmas with Bing Crosby? There was a famous song in that movie titled “Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep.” This popular song puts it very simply, that reflecting on positive things in our life before bed will help us to relax, and reduces racing thoughts. No need for an app on your phone to play certain sounds, just a simple mental practice as you go to bed and think of all the blessings bestowed by our Creator.

Research has also shown that a regular practice of giving thanks, and appreciating what we have, lowers blood pressure and helps our immune system.

Specific Reasons to be Grateful

There are myriad reasons for us to be thankful, and anyone reading this article is probably richer than the majority of the world. We’re not talking about how much money you have in the bank, or the value of your stocks. Let’s stick to the very basics for which we should be thankful. For our KFMA students, this can begin with being thankful for being physically healthy and capable of training with their family members in the martial arts!

Speaking of our family members, we have over 8 billion brothers and sisters in this world living on the same planet, and of those eight billion, about 2 billion do not have access to safely managed drinking water. About one in every 20 humans on this planet must collect their water directly from untreated water sources, like lakes and rivers.

As we race to discover new ways to use AI, or to figure out the latest advances on the iPhone 18, over 300 million of our fellow humans have no shelter in which to sleep, leaving them to fend for themselves in open spaces or on the streets.

How to Develop a Thanksgiving Mindset

As our calendar turns to the holiday season, and with Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, now is the time to consider how truly blessed we are! You don’t need one of our life skills worksheets to start, although we do hope that all of our students will complete one.

Simply make a conscious effort each day, perhaps when you first wake-up, or as you sit down to a meal or prepare for bed, to spend a few minutes thanking God for all of the blessings of your day. If you like to journal, consider looking for specific things that happened that day that were a blessing, perhaps a friendly encounter at the store, the cool breeze that signifies that changing of the seasons, or being able to hug the ones you love. And as you give thanks for all that you have, consider offering a small prayer for our brothers and sisters on this planet who don’t enjoy all of the blessings that we are sometimes too hurried to appreciate.

For more information on the life skills taught at KFMA, please take a look at this article: https://teamkowkabany.com/kfma-teaches-life-skills/

If you’re interested in learning more about KFMA and how we work to develop our students physically and mentally through the martial arts, please feel free to give us a call at 813-540-5528. KFMA is located at 13910 Monroes Business Park, just two doors down from the Tampa Bay Brewing Company off Racetrack Road.

Kowkabany’s Family Martial Arts is chartered with the American Taekwondo Association: https://atamartialarts.com/