grat·i·tude
1. (ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd) noun : the state of being grateful : thankfulness.
A few weeks ago I watched one of Oprah’s Lifeclass videos on Mastering the Art of Gratitude. I urge you to watch this video as it’s pretty life changing.
When we are kids, our parents teach us to say “please” and “thank you.” My parents wouldn’t give me a darn thing until I gave thanks and I still, as an adult always use my manners of please and thank you when I want something.
But what about giving thanks not just for what we want but for what we already have? This is an interesting concept and one that many of us, self included have forgotten about. I am and often forget how incredibly fortunate I am. Even when I’m going through a tough time, there is still so much in life to be grateful for.
So at Oprah’s recommendation (yep, I’m that girl who does whatever Oprah says to do) I started a gratitude journal.
The gratitude journal is a helpful tool to ground us and remind us of the positive things that surround us, even when we don’t think there is anything good to appreciate. Reminding ourselves of the good things in life shifts our focus from a negative state to a positive one and if you are a believer in the law of attraction (and even if you’re not), the energy we put out into the world is what we receive back.
More so, if you want to take a more psychological stance, when we change the stories that we tell ourselves from negative to positive it changes what we think and feel, how we act towards others and makes it easier to open up to accept love and happiness.
To start a gratitude journal of your own…
Spend a few minutes each day and write down 5 things that you are grateful for, it doesn’t matter how big or insignificant you think they are. For example, today I am grateful for the delicious red apple I ate. Sure it may not seem like something that should be given thanks, but some people in the world cannot afford to eat and I feel grateful that I could buy myself a delicious red apple. I try to write my 5 gratitude’s every night before I go to bed, for me that is a peaceful way to close my day before I sleep.
Gratitude can also be shown through meditation, writing a note to a friend, baking muffins for a co-worker, giving someone a compliment, anything that shows you are thankful for the people, things and experiences in your life. A bit of gratitude towards others goes a long way.
"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
What are you grateful for?
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You always such a source of positivity and inspiration. I am not in the practice of writing daily about gratitude but I do wake up every single day feeling incredibly lucky. Partly because I people like you in my life who fill me up with joy and love.
Thank you for this post, I think taking invintory of all that I have to be greatful for is something that is missing from my life.
Its always important to remember it’s the small things in life that count.
1. I am greatful for my amazingly supportive girlfriends, like you Dani.
2. I am greatful for the mma/kickboxing studio that I train at.
3. I’m greatful for this hot summer we’re having.
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