If you’ve paid any attention to the news this year, I think you would agree with me that 2019 has been a trying year.
The list of hot-button issues is long. Climate change, social injustice, gun violence, healthcare reform, the opioid crisis, and data privacy breaches are just a handful that threatens to widen the political chasm.
Yet despite the complicated problems our country faces, I think it’s important to remember that there is still a lot that Americans have to be thankful for.
Here are just a few uplifting trends that I found:
- Safety: The violent crime rate in America is at an all-time low having dropped 51% between 1993 and 2018 (source).
- Economy: The national unemployment rate was recently down to just 3.5% which is the lowest rate ever in the past 10 years (source).
- Poverty: The official poverty rate has declined four years in a row and reached 11.8 percent in 2018, down 0.5 percentage points from 12.3 percent in 2017 (source).
- Diversity: In 2017, nearly 14% of the U.S. population was born in another country. This is the highest share of foreign-born people in the United States since 1910 (source).
Why don’t these positive headlines make the news? Because we’re hardwired for negativity. It’s human nature to pay attention when things go wrong.
Which is why we must be so intentional about practicing gratitude.
So as we move into the holiday season this year I challenge you to make thankfulness a daily habit. Start every morning by writing one thing you’re thankful for.
Maybe it’s having a secure job; a supportive family; a healthy body; or simply a hot cup of coffee.
Expressing our gratitude shouldn’t be reserved for a turkey dinner once a year.
It’s an attitude worth adopting every day.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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