If you want to change your outlook on life, then making gratitude a 365 day practice would be what you want to start. Our brains are wired to see the negative side of things more readily than the good. There’s definitely power in gratitude. Join me, and I’ll explain just what I mean.
About Gratitude
Let’s start by defining gratitude for our purposes. There are lots of contexts in which this concept comes into play. It goes beyond simply uttering the words, “thank you,” or expressing our thankfulness during appropriate times. Gratitude is a state of being and attitude. This topic plays an important role in the field of positive psychology, in which it is seen as a deep appreciation that leads to lasting positive results. Gratitude is acknowledgement of a gift that is given to you. This gift can be something tangible received from a friend or it can simply be the good things in your life.
Why It Matters
The acknowledgement and recognition of the gifts you possess is key to the power of gratitude. Various fields embrace the concept of being grateful and recognize its benefits. Self-help gurus, psychological researchers, religious leaders and philosophers are among these groups. As a reminder from yesterday’s discussion, I’d like to re-visit some of the main advantages that come from having a grateful heart.
Gratitude and Contentment
Making a conscious effort to feel gratitude has a powerful direct effect on your contentment. The reason is that being grateful allows you to move the focus from yourself onto other aspects outside of that narrow scope. Expanding your view lets you truly appreciate more than you would when you’re obsessively centered on you and all that is being done to you or happening to you in a negative manner. Whether you’re acknowledging the good in others or recognizing your life’s blessings, this focus outside of yourself is significant in increasing contentment and wellbeing.
See how gratitude benefits you and helps you to feel more content across the board? Cultivating those feelings of thankfulness takes practice, but it’s an endeavor that pays out in the long run.
Making gratitude a 365 day practice is about developing a habit of journaling. I created the Heal + Grow through Writing course to help you get started with a regular journaling practice.
