The Power of Gratitude
The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness is now well known and we continue to see people challenged to log daily practices on Facebook pages. Long-term studies suggest that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success at work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, and a higher level of happiness and well-being. Practicing gratitude will help you to build resistance and breakthrough adversity faster.
Although we acknowledge the many benefits of gratitude, it can still be difficult to maintain. We are trained to notice what is lacking or going wrong in our lives. If you are to receive the full healing potential of appreciation in your life it needs to become more of a way of life. That means making it a habit.
That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of focussing on what we lack, we open ourselves up to further opportunities.
I am not suggesting you should take a ‘blindly optimistic’ approach and just ignore the bad things in life – It’s more a matter of where you put your focus and attention. Of course, pain and injustice exist in this world, but if your focus is mostly on the gifts of life, you will gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.
You can always find something to be grateful for: colourful autumn leaves, legs that work, eyes that see, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, roses, health, butterflies. It is the small things that matter the most on any given day. What’s on your list?
Keeping a gratitude journal is a great idea. Just list the things you are grateful for. If on a particular bad day you think there was nothing to be grateful for – take it back to basics. Legs that work, eyes that see – but really give that some thought and you will realize those things are not the basics. Those things are truly worth being grateful for.
If you keep the journal somewhere you can see it if before leaving for work or starting your day, just seeing it will remind you to think in gratitude. And, if you do have a really bad day when you return home, open your journal and remind yourself of the things you have been grateful for in days gone by.
If you become conscious about feeling grateful and showing appreciation you will sense an inner shift where you will begin to feel more content and hopeful. You will enjoy that sense of fulfilment and want more of it. So you will be grateful and before you know it, it will have become a habit. Gratitude has now become second nature to you.
See the chapter on Forgiveness and Appreciation in Stitch Your own Silver Linings.
(photo credit https://www.flickr.com/photos/limevelyn/4310645750)
Conroy Concepts 