Did you know that on the 21st September we celebrate the World Gratitude Day? Many people celebrate this one day, and Thanksgiving once a year, and that is fantastic! But then many of them forget to be grateful the rest of the year.
Now, if we could all learn to become a little bit more grateful, and don’t take so many things for granted, we could acknowledge the goodness in our lives, and also inspire others to do the same.
When people show gratitude, they usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals, whether they are grateful towards other people, themselves, nature, or a higher power.
When a person recognizes and is grateful for the good things that come into their life, they become like a magnet that will attract more and more good into their life.
Research have shown that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. It is because gratitude helps people to feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, which may improve their health, will help them deal with adversity, and build stronger relationships.
By making gratitude a habit in your daily life, you’ll feel true joy and contentment, no matter what you have or don’t have in your life.
And since the Law of Attraction states that like attracts like, being grateful will naturally attract more into your life that you can be grateful for.
Learning how to show appreciation and gratitude, you’ll start to notice it is a never ending cycle of positivity!
People feel and express gratitude in multiple ways.
You can apply your gratitude to the past by retrieving positive memories and being thankful for elements of childhood or past blessings.
You can also apply it to the present by not taking good fortune for granted as it comes.
And you can even apply it to the future, as to maintaining a hopeful and optimistic attitude.
Regardless of the current level of someone’s gratitude, it’s a quality that individuals can successfully cultivate further.
Many studies shown an association between gratitude and an individual’s well-being.
Other studies have looked at how being grateful can improve relationships. For example; individuals who are taking time to express gratitude for their partner can feel more positive toward the other person, and also feel more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship.
Many managers who remember to say “thank you” to people who work for them, may find that those employees feel more motivated to work harder because they feel appreciated and valuable.
So, gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for something new in the hopes it will make them happier, or thinking they can’t feel satisfied until every physical and material need is met.
Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack.
And, although it may feel a bit foreign or strange at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and practice.
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.
If you concentrate on what you don’t have,
you will never, ever have enough.”
~Oprah Winfrey
Take a few minutes each morning to write down everything you appreciate in life
Find a quiet space, play some calming yet uplifting music in the background if you like, and take a moment to write down 5-10 things you appreciate in life.
Starting your day this way primes you to be receptive and grateful for everything your day will bring. It also helps you cultivate an awareness of positivity that makes you naturally more attractive to other positive people – and inspires them to want to help you achieve your dreams and goals.
One of my morning rituals is to write down about 10 things that I’m grateful for. I not only write them down, I also take a moment to feel each one of them… I notice the emotions filling up inside of me, and that increases the gratitude I’m having which again set me in a good mood.
A wonderful start to the day, don’t you think?
Make a conscious effort to appreciate at least 3-5 people every day
If you let people know how much you appreciate them, you increase their own sense of appreciation and self-worth and encourage them to pay this positive energy forward to other people.
While most people enjoy receiving verbal appreciation, written notes are also nice because they can be saved and re-read.
By doing this, you not only make them feel better, you’ll actually discover how much better YOU feel by showing this form of appreciation.
Play the appreciation game
This game is actually fun to do, so I highly recommend you to do it at least for a couple of weeks…
Set a specific time each day to consciously appreciate everything you encounter. An ideal time to do this is on your way to or from work. Appreciate the people you pass, the road you walk on, the cars that let you merge into a different lane, the street signs that make it easy for you to know where you’re going, the rain that’s nourishing the plants and trees, and so on.
Look for the good in ALL situations. Yes, even those you would normally view as negative.
There is a saying going, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” And that is so true if you just look for it.
For example, once upon a time I lost my flight due to a mix-up by the airport shuttle company, and I had to spend several hours extra at the airport. Instead of getting frustrated and irritated about it, I went into a bar, ordered a glass of wine, had my earphones on listening to some classical music and just relaxed.
Later I learned that the shuttle company would pay me $75 for the inconvenience they had caused me. And the following day, I learned that the airplane I was supposed to be on, had to return due to some technical issues and the passengers on that flight had to wait until the following day to get to where they were supposed to go.
Carry a physical token of gratitude in your pocket
A physical reminder can bring you back to your daily habit practice of gratitude when your mind has drifted elsewhere.
A physical token can be just about anything, such as a heart-shaped stone, crystal, or some other small item that has a positive vibe for you.
I have something I call my gratitude stone. I was walking on the beach one winter morning, and this stone just stood out among other stones. Strangly enough, when I picked it up it felt warm, even on this chilled morning…
As you reach into your pocket throughout the day and feel the token, use it as a reminder to stop, breathe and take a moment to fully experience the emotion of gratitude. The more conscious effort you put into seeking it out, the easier it will be to find it,
And the more powerful your experience will be.
Remember to appreciate the smallest blessings
The best way to activate your gratitude is by acknowledging the gifts most people take for granted. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes in your closet and a roof over your head, you are better off than 75 percent of the world’s population.
If you eat three meals a day, you are far better off than the 1 billion people on the planet who eat once a day at most.
Do you have a phone? How about a car that allows you to travel to work or to explore the country?
Are you and your family healthy? And even if you have some kind of health issues, you might be able to find something to be grateful in the situation, like getting good health care from your doctor, or the nearby hospital.
Do you have a computer and Internet access to stay in touch with the world? Know that not everyone have this opportunity, and just imagine if you didn’t have access to it…
You have probably gone through some education, and perform work for which you are paid for…
I love water, and I’m so grateful I can just go over to the sink and poor myself a clean glass of water to drink.
Celebrate these simple blessings. These daily conveniences are gifts that most people in the world do not enjoy.
Appreciate yourself
Finally, don’t forget to appreciate your OWN positive qualities and accomplishments. In addition to celebrating your big successes, acknowledge your small daily successes too. We all need acknowledgment, but the most important acknowledgment is that which we give ourselves.
It may not feel natural at first to focus on appreciating what you already have, but by faithfully practicing the daily habits of gratitude outlined in this article, you’ll begin to change your conditioning.
Now it's YOUR turn
To kick-start your daily gratitude practice, take a few moments to share at least three things for which you’re grateful for in the comments. Even the smallest act of gratitude will have a positive impact on your life.
Also let me know what you type of gratitude practices you are going to add to your daily routines.
I look forward to reading what you share!
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