In its most basic form, gratitude is simply being appreciative and satisfied for what you have. It’s looking at the brighter side of things in the middle of chaos. It’s having moments of both peace and thankfulness, even when everything is not going like you planned.
Gratitude is not just a feeling; it’s an attitude.
It’s a mindset of being grateful in all circumstances, despite the things dragging you down. It’s a mindset that can be embraced every day and in every area of your life. Although it can seem hard to take on, practicing gratitude on a daily basis is a lot easier than we make it to be. You can tap into it each day by just jotting down a few things that you are grateful for, or by taking a step back from your day-to-day grind to remind yourself of a thousand things that you have to be grateful for. Having a grateful attitude is always possible, even when it doesn’t always feel that way.
The thing is, the more that I have chosen to practice gratitude, the more good things have come my way; the better I feel about myself; and the happier I am about life. I’ve realized there is always something to be grateful for. As a result, I’ve ultimately become a happier, more easygoing, and tell others about it so that they can become the same. So in case you needed them, here are eight ways that I believe practicing gratitude can make you a better person in every area of your life:
1. Gratitude Makes You Stronger
In between the setbacks, bad events, and challenges you might have to handle from day-to-day, gratitude helps you to keep going in spite of them. It builds your resilience, making you tougher, wiser, and more centered on what’s important. It builds you up in how to have the attitude needed to overcome the pressures of life.
2. Gratitude Helps You To Refocus
By focusing on the positive things in my life, your perspective can change in every way. It makes you feel excited and happy to be where you are in this moment of your life, regardless of what’s actually happening. It causes you to shift your focus to live in the realm of “now”.
3. Gratitude Guards You From Negativity
For me, the best part about choosing to have gratitude is that it allows me to let go of everything holding me down. It forces me to release the negativity around me, whether that’s people, things, situations, etc. And I find that the more I release the negative, the more room I leave for the positive to come in. The benefits of diminishing the negative, free me.
4. Gratitude Brings Out The Best In You
Not only do I feel free when I live in gratitude, but I feel like I am able to take hold of the best parts of me. I can tap more into my creativity, my happiness, and my overall joy of life. All of the best parts of me all of sudden come alive and I take hold of them. I learn more about myself and my strengths more than I could before.
5. Gratitude Keeps You Calm
Gratitude is my calm in my storms. It grounds me into realizing what is important and what’s not. It also gives me perspective.
6. Gratitude Transforms Your Relationships
The more I practice gratitude, the more that my relationships have dramatically changed. I don’t take people for granted and I look for the good in people more. I am also more understanding of who people are and the choices they make, realizing that we all are going through different things in our lives. I try to treat people how I would want to be treated more.
7. Gratitude Improves Your Health
I feel happier, more energized. I have zest for life and taking care of myself, because I realize the importance of working out and maintaining a good attitude.
8. Gratitude Makes You More Aware
The awareness that gratitude brings is crazy. The more I have chosen to practice gratitude, the more I have become aware of when I am not practicing it. I can literally feel the lack of ease, the lack of joy. Regardless of what I thought before, I now believe the core of who I am and all that I do has to start from gratitude. It satisfies my soul and makes me appreciate life on a greater level in every area. To me, it really is important to always be thankful, because I know that life can always be so much worse. That’s the truth.
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