Practicing gratitude really is a game changer
Practicing gratitude really is a game changer
Gratitude will make you joyous and help you attract abundance
Thanksgiving is my favourite secular celebration. Although we don’t celebrate it in our home, in the run up to it we receive so many messages about it, enough to remind us repeatedly how important it is to be grateful.
I’ve put in a lot of effort this year working on refocusing any negative energy or mindset, to gratitude. Some simple examples:
My kids are down with a never-ending flu.
Shift to: No worries, it’s not serious. Opportunity for more cuddles.
Work is getting a bit monotonous.
To: I’m grateful for a stable job where we have a good working environment and great colleagues.
I don’t get any time to myself.
To: One day, my kids won’t want to spend so much time with me. I must enjoy every minute.
My boss is being so difficult today.
To: He must be battling something I know nothing about. This has nothing to do with me. I hope he works it out.
Covid and its variants are destroying our souls.
To: Covid has made us realize what really matters, and it is helping us prioritize what is important.
These small mindset shifts where I am paying attention to the positives, not dwelling on negatives nor on behaviour / circumstances I cannot control, are really helping me change my energy when I feel agitated, down or overwhelmed.
It’s not joy that makes us grateful, it’s gratitude that makes us joyful.
Brené Brown, best-selling author, professor and podcast host who has done 12 years of behavioural research on over 11,000 units of data, repeatedly found that the people who practice gratitude are the most joyous.
(A side note here: If you are not familiar with Brown, and are interested in exploring behaviours like courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, you must check out her talks and books. Start with her Ted Talk on vulnerability, it is one of the most powerful talks I have ever listened to. Only 16 million or so views :)
Gratitude makes you happier and healthier
So much research shows that those who practice gratitude are happier and healthier. Practicing gratitude is completely in our control. It all boils down to actively acknowledging the good in your life.
Here are some ideas to practice gratitude:
• Keep a gratitude journal. Take 5 minutes to write in it before bedtime. I used to do this, I must start again.
• Write gratitude letters to people you want to thank. Even if you don’t give it to them, this is a gratitude practice that can help you appreciate your relationships more.
• Discuss what you are grateful for at dinner with your family. Brené Brown does this and I think it’s such a great way to talk to you children about their day and inculcate a practice of gratitude in their minds.
Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you
Accepting that life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you, is also a tremendously powerful perspective that thrusts you out of any victim mentality that may be limiting you. When you realise this, it can help you avoid battles with things that bother you and see the good in a situation that would typically disappoint you.
Gratitude brings abundance
Research shows that another benefit of practicing gratitude is that it helps you cultivate the feeling of abundance.
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance, ” Eckhart Tolle
Lately, as I enroll in courses that are helping me shift my mindset, I’m learning all about energetics and manifesting, and how to thrive in an energy of abundance.
The more you are grateful, the more things you identify to feel grateful for. Gratitude will automatically put you into the zone of manifesting abundance.
When we operate from a place of scarcity or lack (the opposite of abundance), it can limit our growth. Scarcity mentality refers to seeing life as a finite pie, where if one person takes a big piece, that leaves less for everyone else.
The reality is that there is enough to go around. Don’t be afraid to give generously. Be grateful for everything you have, and more will come your way.
A slightly more philosophical post than I had planned for today. I guess it’s the end of the year that brings the need to reflect.
What are you grateful for today? Please tell share in the comments so we can all see more reasons to be grateful.
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Loved this one, Abha.. I've been following The Secret(Rhonda Byrne) since moe than ten years now, and, even now, I come across something new each time. They key learning has been, of course, that gratitude is the key... anywhere, everywhere...from waking up time to sleep time. This article reaffirms it. Good going.