We all know the difference between living with gratitude vs. going through our days complaining a lot, being solely focused on the negative and always seeing our glass half empty.
The former accompanies internal peace and the latter breeds internal chaos and a deep sense of dissatisfaction, bitterness and resentment.
By cultivating a sense of gratitude you’re enhancing your quality of life.
Being grateful in life will help you in your relationship with yourself as well as with others. We're all attracted to people who are genuinely grateful and peaceful, inside and out.
But what I wanted to focus on here is how to better practice gratitude!
I don’t think practicing gratitude out of a sense of guilt is the best way to go about doing things! We can do much better than just be grateful because there are people all over this world who are doing way worse than us.
Practicing gratitude doesn’t have to be a chore or yet another item on your to-do list.
Practicing gratitude is not about mindlessly listing 3-5 things and having it over time become a meaningless and repetitive cognitive task.
Gratitude is something that you allow yourself to genuinely feel.
Here are a few scenarios that can help generate a real sense of gratitude in you.
Seeing a little one on the street who happens to smile at you.
Catching the sunset and the gorgeous tapestry of colors that absolutely blows your mind.
Contemplating about this beautiful and complex body that you inhabit and the countless functions that it conducts on a moment to moment basis without you having to do anything or even thinking about it.
Going outside first thing in the morning and enjoying the gentle sunlight bathing your face and warming up your body.
These examples and many more like them help shift your state from ordinary to feeling truly and deeply grateful.
Don’t think about being grateful, drop into it and feel it in your heart.
That’s where the amazing chemistry of the feel good hormones can benefit your health on all levels.
When you train yourself to look for things and beings that help you shift into this mindset, you’re in essence always looking for what makes your day and life better and even magical.
You’re looking for beauty. Simple moments that make a difference in your day and this is how you begin to see your life as a glass half full, in a very real way and not just by repeating empty positive words.
And here’s even a more important concept when it comes to gratitude that most people forget!
Practicing gratitude is also about taking action and taking good care of what you already have. This is about going a step beyond feeling and giving thanks and cultivating gratitude by taking action. For instance, the way to truly practice gratitude for your health is to take amazing care of your body and psyche on a day-to-day basis.