Gratitude
Is both humbling and inspiring, and not just for the person feeling it.
When respectfully done, it feels significant and quite powerful.
It comes highly recommended, has the X factor, and I try to use it daily.
As survivors it can feel challenging to get through one day, let alone feel happy about it.
I get that. Life has not treated us well, so to feel grateful for it can be a step too far.
However, psychology research shows that gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.
I am not suggesting that you find something to be grateful for if you’d rather not but knowing that it will multiply your chances of feeling something close to happiness, makes it more appealing to find one thing every day that you appreciate.
For those of you who read ‘The Secret’ by Rhonda Byrne, you will have noticed that ‘gratitude rocks’ were featured: Simply put, as people got up in the morning, they would reach for their gratitude rocks and show their deep felt and genuine gratitude for events or people in their lives. Although it seemed unusual at the time, the underlying premise of being and showing gratitude is something a lot of people did and still do.
People like the Dalai Lama, Oprah and Deepak Chopra.
Every day, these powerful and successful people recall what they are grateful for and express this as a matter of course, because there is a unique power in it.
It creates an energy and brings in more of what we give attention to.
It grows and subsequently so do the things we are grateful for.
Who doesn’t want that?
Every day I wake up and think about what I am grateful for, it might be Tuis singing in the tree outside, or it could be that my internet finally got sorted. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, if I can come up with something I feel truly grateful for, I feel lifted and happy. It works for me, because as I genuinely feel it, it tends to light the way for the day ahead. It then becomes harder for me to be negative or critical when I’m grateful and happy.
The two cannot exist simultaneously. If I am grateful, I cannot also be negative. Therefore, if only positive and happy things can survive, guess what happens next?
Better, more wonderful things appear in my life.
People often comment on why I’m so happy and positive all the time. Well that’s why.
I am living this life, feeling grateful for who I am, where I am, and who I have in my life.
Everyday my choice is to be grateful. Naturally not all days are the same, and occasionally I have to dig deep to find what ignites the spark, but there’s always something, and that’s the point. I don’t give up till I find something that makes me feel truly grateful.
It doesn’t just happen to me and a few ‘lucky’ people. There are no conditions attached. Its free, and it’s yours if you want it.
Why not give it a try?
If this feels weird and uncomfortable, here are some tips to start the practise of building gratitude into your life:
Choose 2 things you are grateful for: person, situation, thing.
Think about why, be specific.
Genuinely acknowledge each thing
Feel the power of the joy you hold around this
Go on with your day
It’s that simple