Its Great to be Grateful

By now, we’ve all heard about how beneficial it is to practice feeling the emotion of gratitude. This makes sense to most of us in a very basic, intuitive way. Now, there are an increasing number of studies that show us that gratitude and appreciation, when practiced daily, can actually train us to be more positive and thereby create a more positive, happy, contented life for us.

Raise your hand if you’d like to feel more joy! I know my hand is up and I am sure your hand is too. So, what can we do to bring lasting, positive change to our lives? Fostering an attitude of gratitude is the answer. The really great news is, research shows that the most malleable or changeable personality trait is gratitude. We can actually take action to boost our level of gratitude which then directly affects our level of satisfaction and happiness in life. By making some very simple changes in our behavior, we can actually change our lives in a very meaningful way. Think about how powerful that is!

Let’s take a look at some wonderful and easy ways to bring our focus towards gratitude and appreciation. I know that you’ll find, if you keep up with some or all of these simple practices, that you will see a positive shift in the perception of your life. With the establishment of some simple new habits, you can help to raise your gratitude awareness and improve your life!

Start a Gratitude Journal

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This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A simple notebook will do. However, if you want to buy an attractive journal that is pleasurable to look at, you certainly may. There are lots of options out there. At a time that’s good for you, write down five things that went well for you today that you appreciated. Be as specific as you can. Take a little time to recall the nice feelings you had about each of these things. Then say, “Thank you”.

Scientists conducted an experiment where they had one group of people record things they were grateful for and another group that wrote down problems or troubles. At the end of the experiment, those who focused on gratitude exercised more, were more optimistic and felt better overall about their lives than the other group.

Practice Being Kind and Thankful Towards Others

This may sound simple, but in today’s very active lifestyle, we don’t always take the time to acknowledge when someone has been good to us. Make a point each day to say, “thank you” to someone. Maybe it’s a person who held the door open for you or maybe it’s telling your significant other how much they mean to you. Many times we feel grateful in our hearts for these special events or people, but we never voice them. Psychologists that are doing studies in the field of Positive Psychology are finding that when we act on our feelings of gratitude, this produces a 10% increase in happiness. Furthermore, we can sustain this feeling of happiness by making it a regular habit to show others our appreciation. Isn’t that a worthwhile habit to begin fostering?

Gratitude Strengthens Relationships

Whether it’s a family relationship, a friend or a work associate, people love to be appreciated. Not only that, but when we show someone that we appreciate them, they actually are more inclined to want to be helpful and supportive. Showing your appreciation towards another person has a win-win effect. You boost your happiness by expressing gratitude and the person on the receiving end gains a well-deserved confidence burst. Be sincere when you offer your appreciation. The magic of sincere appreciation goes a long way in boosting confidence, trust and a general feeling of peace. Expressing sincere gratitude is one of the easiest way to improve all of our relationships.

Make Being Thankful Fun

We don’t even need a study to show us that when things are fun, we are more likely to continue doing them. So, make practicing gratitude and appreciation enjoyable for yourself. Some people really love the written word and so, journaling about gratitude is a practice they easily start and keep up. For others though, this might not be the case. Maybe you like to be more visual. If so, how about drawing or cutting and pasting pictures and making a gratitude poster? You could add to it daily or weekly and create something visually appealing. I used to have a gratitude bowl, which was a lovely piece of painted handmade pottery. Every day I would take a small strip of paper and write a simple phrase that reminded me of something for which I was thankful. A lady I know used to work with clay and started sculpting little small gratitude beads. She painted them and kept them in a jar. Use your imagination! Making gratitude an enjoyable, meaningful expression will also help make it a lasting habit.

Shift Your Perception of the World Around You

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How many times do you walk into a room and the first thing you notice is something unpleasant? Maybe the room is too noisy or dark or cold or hot or stuffy. Catch yourself right there. Switch your focus. Find something in that room, no matter how small it may seem that is a positive trait. Give that your attention. Instead of saying, “my conference is being held in the hot, stuffy room” begin to describe it as the bright, blue room with the large windows. You get the idea. Gradually become more aware of your knee-jerk reactions to things and notice if your first focus in any situation is something that you feel negativity about. Don’t beat yourself up for this, just notice it and then make the conscious effort to change your focus. There are always two sides to every coin. We can focus on the negative or the positive. Guess which one leads to more joy?