Have you ever found yourself randomly grumbling about something? Has a pensive look on your face become a natural state? It may be time for you to take a deeper look at the practice of gratefulness.
When you practice gratefulness, you are also practicing mindfulness. Being mindful of the positive things in your life is a great way to become happier. However, it can be challenging to feel happy if you constantly focus on what is wrong with your life.
Gratitude and happiness go hand-in-hand. But like any other healthy habit, it requires practice for it actually to work. You can not sit around wishing or wanting to be grateful you have to do some work to make it your go-to response in day-to-day living for gratitude to have its full effect on your life.
There are certain times of the year, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, which help remind us to be grateful, but often only at a surface level. Our society seems to compartmentalize this gratefulness as a feeling shared at this designated time. Still, the truth is that gratefulness is the actual root of living an emotionally and spiritually fulfilling life.
Gratitude is infectious. Once you take up the practice, it begins to impact the entire atmosphere around you.
A straightforward way to practice gratefulness is to keep a gratitude journal. Each day, write down several things you are grateful for. The number of things can range from 3 to 100, but whatever is most doable for you and something you are willing to stick to. Setting the alarm to remind you to do this daily is helpful. After a few weeks of practicing writing down things you are grateful for, you will start to notice a change in your outlook on life.
You will begin to see the good in situations you may have otherwise seen as negative. You will start to feel happier as your perspective on life shifts. Your “go-to” response begins to operate out of gratefulness, an actual deep seeded level of gratitude, not just a fake it till you make it thing. Your atmosphere inside and out becomes lighter, and appreciation pours out.
Another option is to voice your thankfulness in prayer or meditation daily. A little gratitude before you start the day and a little dose at the end will help your Heartlight glow a little brighter. Let’s not forget taking a minute mid-day to find one thing to be thankful for can be one of the best ingredients in your power lunch.
The challenge with gratitude is the same as a new workout routine. It only works if you do the work. Be creative or simple. It doesn’t matter but practice. Gratitude’s miraculous power only reveals itself over time and through intentional practice. Are you willing to challenge yourself to a year of gratefulness? Three hundred sixty-five days to a new perspective on life? The practice offers health benefits as well. Gratitude reduces stress while helping your mind refocus on positive things. In a world full of challenges, it is advantageous for us to make room for gratitude in our daily lives.
The practice of gratitude is one of the most accessible routes to joyful living. It can only take a few minutes a day to shift your entire perspective on life permanently. So be sure and find something to be grateful for today.
