Understanding the Power of Gratitude
I have a question for you. When life has got you down, do you focus on all that’s going wrong in your life? On the other hand, when you accomplish something major, do you stop to acknowledge your great achievement? When it comes to living your best and most fabulous life, is your happiness solely contingent upon things and/or accomplishments you achieve? There are two ways that you can live your life - running a race, always trying for the better and trying to fill that empty hole of desire that you constantly feel. There is a great power that comes with practicing gratitude and being thankful. But in order to do so, you have to be able to hit pause from time to time to truly stop and smell the roses. Do you want to be more thankful? Keep reading to understand the power of gratitude and how you can incorporate it into your life.
Understanding the Power of Gratitude
It can be easy to get so caught up in your day-to-day that you forget to take time to stop and appreciate your life or simply be thankful for what you have. No matter what your circumstances, there’s always someone who has it a little harder or worse than you do. It’s important to remember that. Having gratitude is simply showing appreciation for the things, happenings, people, and circumstances of your life. In practicing gratefulness you are choosing to embrace your journey in your life and be thankful for everything that encompasses it.
There’s a great power that comes with the practice of gratitude. Not only are there great benefits (I’ll share those later), but you open yourself up to receive even more meaningful and impactful things in your life. When you practice gratitude you’re able to acknowledge all the good in your life. There’s nothing too small to be grateful for. Deliberately practicing gratitude will help you refocus on what you have instead of what you lack. Although it may feel forced at first, this simple practice will have many long-term benefits.
5 Benefits of Having Gratitude
Giving more thanks and showing more appreciation doesn’t only sound good, it’s good for you. Research shows that regularly practicing gratitude has several benefits that have a positive impact on your quality of life.
Improved quality of relationships
Improved physical health
Better sleep
Improved self-esteem
Increased mental well-being
4 Ways to Practice Gratitude Every Day
You have the ability and choice to cultivate gratitude in your daily life. Incorporating gratitude into your life every day is pretty simple. Just take a few moments to focus on all that you have, instead of complaining about all the things you think you deserve.
Adjust your mindset
I’ve said this many times before, mindset is everything. It can make all the difference if you’re someone that always sees the glass half full, or half empty.
Try a Gratitude Journal
Keeping a journal of all of the things you are thankful for is a great way to help you keep track of all the positive things in your life. It’s nice to have something to refer back to when you’re having a bad day or going through a rough time.
I recently started using this gratitude journal. Each morning, I set aside five minutes to list a few things that I am grateful for. Doing so really sets the tone for my day, I notice that I’m much more optimistic and eager about conquering my day.
Say it Out Loud
Put those feelings of thankfulness into words and share them with others. Sometimes it’s not enough to keep your gratitude to yourself, spread the love. You’d be surprised at how good doing so will make you feel. Not only that, you’re letting those around you know how much you appreciate them, which can positively impact their lives as well.
Practice Mindfulness
Some believe that the practice of gratitude and mindfulness go hand in hand. While with gratitude, you focus on the good, with mindfulness you’re allowing yourself to acknowledge all of your feelings (good and bad) in a nonjudgmental way. The key is to not be consumed or deterred by these bad feelings or thoughts because they are temporary. Instead, try to acknowledge these feelings, understand the root or cause of them, and use your gratitude to get through them.
