The Power of Gratitude
1. Understanding the meaning of gratitude
Gratitude is defined in the dictionary as, the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
It’s recognizing the small things in life, not overlooking them, and becoming aware of them, and how much abundance is actually around you.
Of all the attitudes we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is one of the most important and life-changing!
2. Gratitude and the Law of Attraction or a self-reinforcing cycle
The Law of Attraction allows you to bring into your life what you focus on. Every positive thought you have, will reward you with a positive experience. Every negative one, with an unpleasant one. That’s why we better choose our thoughts deliberately and why awareness and mindfulness matters!
It’s not happiness that brings you gratitude, it’s the gratitude that brings you happiness.
When you become more present of the magnificence you’re surrounded by it activates the Law of Attraction in ways you couldn’t imagine. By recognizing the positive things that occur in our life and being grateful, you shift your attention and awareness to the sunny side of life.
Therefore the Law of Attraction must give you more of it.
When you go through your day being aware and mindful of positive things to be grateful for, more positive things will show up!
It’s a self-reinforcing cycle. You just have to push the first stone and the stones start falling in your favour and turn into a perfect pattern of appreciation. Gratitude shifts your mindset in the most uplifting way possible.
Imagine waking up in the morning and feeling blessed in every kind of way? Going to bed and thanking your day for the adventures it came with! What glorious waves of grateful emotions would come over you? That’s what it means to have an attitude of gratitude.
3. Easy ways to practice an attitude of gratitude
One of the easiest and most impactful ways is keeping a daily gratitude journal. Write down or type three to five things that you are grateful for today. It could be a person, a conversation, a book, a walk in the park, sunny weather, skills or abilities that you have, and so on. Keeping a gratitude journal, and being thankful for small things and events in your daily life will have tremendous benefits on your quality of life.
Celebrity reference! Take it from the legendary Oprah Winfrey:
Write a letter to someone that has positively impacted your life. Tell him what you are grateful for. You can still decide later whether you want to send the letter or not.
Count three things that you are looking at right now and say out loud or in your mind why you’re grateful for them.
Start appreciating all the things you do have, rather than worrying about what you don’t have. It’s a choice!
Develop an attitude of gratitude in areas that you’d normally take for granted. Like a book that was recommended to you by a friend. A conversation you had that turned out to be a real eye-opener. A sunny day after a rainy day.
You can choose to look at a flower and not pay much attention to it or, you can choose to look at a flower and thank it for its beautiful components, its radiant colours, and what it does for nature. You can even be grateful towards your eyes that they can see such magnificence.
Whilst I’m typing this, I am grateful for being able to write about gratitude.
You see, there are endless opportunities that allow you to start having an attitude of gratitude.
When you choose to cultivate an attitude of gratitude you feel happier, more content, abundant, more compassionate and you’ll start realising how many beautiful things you are surrounded by.
And like most things in life with consistent practice, it morphs from practicing into being. It’s a new way of living. An inspired way of living. Without expecting anything from it. Putting the so-called “ego” aside and just being. Being grateful.
4. Making gratitude a positive habit
Often gratitude is only practised during certain times like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or birthdays. But do we really have to wait for a special occasion to practice gratitude?
I believe not. And by the time you’ve finished reading this, I hope neither, do you…
The two key times of the day!
In the morning!
When you wake up in the morning, immediately when you start connecting back to your consciousness and you’re still in a dreamy state, list three to five things you’re grateful for. It can be your soft pillow, the restful sleep, the good relationship with your children, the sunny weather, your morning tee, your breakfast, your spouse. Make it your new morning practice.
Right before you fall asleep!
The same goes for when you’re falling asleep. Be grateful for three to five things during the day. A new experience you gained. The delicious meals you enjoyed. If you had an unpleasant experience, ask yourself what you are supposed to learn from it and be grateful for that learning experience. Which I have to admit, can sometimes be a tough one…
In general, always focus on three to five positive things or experiences. If more comes to your mind, then even better. In any case write them down or type them into your digital gratitude journal.
From my own experience I can tell you that using a Gratitude Journal App on my iPhone made it much easier to develop a daily gratitude habit. It makes it much easier to write down my reasons to be grateful for every evening before going to bed.
Usually, I simply try to recall what experiences and things made me happy today and what I am grateful for. I then type it into my digital gratitude journal and put my mobile on the bed stand. I close my eyes, recall how good those experiences made me feel and fall asleep with a pleasant smile on my face.
Positive effects of having an Attitude of Gratitude;
Gratitude is Love, gratitude is oneness, gratitude is the highest form of connecting with Universal energy, nature, and all sentient beings.
- You’ll become so much more mindful, present and aware of your positive surroundings!
- You’ll feel more balanced and have a lower stress level.
- You’ll develop a clearer sense of what is truly important to you and what you want to have more of in life.
- You’ll have a tool at hand on days when you are feeling down, that helps you recalibrate your thought patterns in a positive way.
- You’ll grow your self-confidence over time. You will become more mindful of your achievements, even if they are only small accomplishments.
- You’ll start seeing evidence of drawing more positive things and good people to you to become more grateful about!
It’s scientifically proven that gratitude benefits many areas of your life. Ranging from relationships to health benefits, to your sleep pattern.
An attitude of gratitude seems to have a lot of potential upsides and no noticeable downsides. So, are you willing to give it a try and adapt to an attitude of gratitude?
If so, I’d propose you start with your own gratitude journal today. It’s a great way of practising your new way of thinking.
We at Perfectly Happy have created a vision board app including a daily gratitude journal. You can write your positive daily experiences in your personal gratitude journal on your smartphone. In addition you can use your personalized vision board to become aware of your inner calling in life and follow your true dreams in a more focused way. Through being grateful and watching your vision board on a consistent daily basis you amplify your manifestation powers. Manifestation made easy!
It’s just forming a new positive, uplifting, life-changing habit.
It’s a double win.
Your life will become more blissful. You’ll feel more stable and secure and your self-esteem will grow. It all starts with typing short things to be grateful for into your mobile phone …
Try it out, live life with an attitude of gratitude and become the happiest version of yourself!