This blog could change your life! by Rebecca Sloan

Yes, I know it’s quite a bold statement to make for a blog but keep with me and I’ll tell you how it works.

On Monday 12 October, one of North America’s most popular holidays will be celebrated in my homeland, Canada. Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to giving thanks, remembering your blessings and (I certainly can’t forget this very important part) eating!

I personally think the UK could really benefit from taking on this holiday (and not just because it’s a chance to get together with friends and eat lots of gorgeous food). You see, it’s all too easy for us to be absorbed in the current problems we face in our lives, either at work or at home, and we often forget to be thankful for the things we do have.

In my opinion, it’s this reminder to be thankful that can be really useful in all aspects of your life.

Now, this is the part where I talk about how Thanksgiving and life changing blogs are interrelated.

Well, it’s quite simple really. I’d like to challenge you to change your life with your own Thanksgiving.

Make it your mission this weekend to reflect upon all the things you’ve got going for you. In fact, even better, write them down. Don’t monitor your responses. No detail is too small and often it’s the small things in life which make the biggest impact.

The point of the exercise is two-fold. First, to recognise and be thankful for all the wonderful things and people you’ve already got in your life. And second, to consider how you can utilise these positive things to make your life even better!

I’m a strong believer in making your own opportunities; there’s always more than one way to achieve a desired outcome.

I think Birmingham Future’s Graduate Welcome event on Wednesday illustrated this point succinctly in their six degrees of separation exercise. In it, participants were asked whether they knew of ways to contact various high-profile people such as Gordon Brown, Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross and Barack Obama. Between the participants, it took no more than 2 degrees to reach some of the world’s most powerful and celebrated people.

It’s a great exercise in remembering to make the most of what you’ve got and who you know (the very things you should be thankful for!). After all, it’s these very things that, if made the most of, may just help you change your life for the better!