Gratitude
We’ve all heard of it, tried to do it, think about it around Thanksgiving, and then what happens? We forget and don’t do it enough and then wonder why we aren’t happy or fulfilled.
Gratitude holds a magical power, the power of bringing things into perspective. It’s a simple matter of finding the little things every day to be grateful for and acknowledge them. Write it down, journal about it, or meditate on it.
Gratitude opens the door to the power, the wisdom, the creativity of the universe. You open the door through gratitude.”
Deepak Chopra
Definition of Gratitude:
The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
What Is Gratitude?
It’s finding the silver lining to your situations, circumstances, problems, or just seeing the brighter side of things. There is always something to be thankful for in most situations. Sure it may be harder to find in the most dier of times but with much effort and thought you can most likely find a grain of gratitude.
Being grateful all the time isn’t easy. But it’s when you least feel thankful that you are most in need of what gratitude can give you: perspective. Gratitude can transform any situation. It alters your vibration, moving you from negative energy to positive. It’s the quickest, easiest most powerful way to effect change in your life — this I know for sure.“
Oprah
Why Look for Gratitude?
More plainly why wouldn’t you? Who doesn’t want to be a little happier, a better person, have an improved perspective, and be grateful for all you have.
Being grateful can help you feel less stressed, thus lowering your blood pressure and changing your mental state. Stoping to find something to be grateful for in every situation allows you to digress and find the positive.
I truly believe everything happens for a reason and everything always works out in the end. It’s hard to believe sometimes but it does always work out the way it’s supposed to.
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
John F. Kennedy
Find the little things to be grateful for and the big things too. On days you struggle to find something to be grateful for look for the smallest thing. It can be anything. You can be thankful that it’s not raining outside, for the flower you saw earlier that day, that you found your keys on the way out the door, it can be anything.
The point is to practice it daily or as often as you can. It can be done when you lay down for bed and instead of thinking of your to-do list think of 1, 2, or 3 things you’re grateful for that day. It’ll also help your mind wind down and end the day on a positive note.
Gratitude Journal
An additional layer of practicing gratitude is creating a gratitude journal. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy just a notebook to write down what you’re thankful for that day. Journaling is a great tool for expressing your emotions and self-reflection anyway. Journaling is also a great tool for automatic writing.
Adding this to your journaling practice increases your ability to see things differently, more positively but also begin to change yourself. Plus, it’s pretty fun to go back and read some of your old entries and see what you were grateful for that particular day.
You’ll also notice that your appreciation will deepen and you’ll become more aware of the positive things happening around you rather than the negative.
I leave you with this gratitude quote:
Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it grows, and the more power you have to use it on your behalf. If you do not practice gratefulness, its benefaction will go unnoticed, and your capacity to draw on its gifts will be diminished. To be grateful is to find blessings in everything. This is the most powerful attitude to adopt, for there are blessings in everything.”
Alan Cohen
I wish you peace and guidance on your journey. Take care and be grateful and well.
UPDATE 12/30/21
Practicing gratitude each and every day can be hard to remember in the beginning. However, over time it becomes second nature and you’ll find yourself appreciating things throughout your day. This is when you’ll begin to feel a little more peaceful, happier, and smile more often.
You’re training yourself to be thankful and find those little things every day to be grateful for this in turn begins to make you more present.
Over time you’ll notice how negative or maybe less aware you had been up until that point. You also become more aware of others’ negativity as you’ve started to focus on gratitude. Be careful not to allow others’ negative emotions to weigh you down and steer you away from your gratitude practice. It can be hard but be mindful and perhaps help that person find something to be grateful for because that would be a great gift to give.
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