Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to practice being grateful when too many things feel like they’re just going wrong. An argument with a friend, unexpectedly realizing you have a flat tire one morning when you’re already late for work, family drama, bills piling up, etc. Everything can be incredibly overwhelming at times and feel like there’s absolutely no way to escape the stress. How do you keep your head focused each day with all the burdens plaguing your life? Most people don’t really know how to keep their eye on the ball in a productive way without feeling distracted by negative influences. What if I told you one way to ease your worries is by being grateful? I know, you are probably reading this and think I’m delusional. I assure you, I’m not delusional.
Allow Me to Explain
Why is gratitude important? Gratitude is important because without it we wouldn’t know what to be thankful for or how to appreciate life. It’s important to show gratitude on a daily basis because it helps to open the way to enter a positive mindset. The key to the last sentence is focusing on positivity. Changing your perspective to focus on the more positive aspects of your life as opposed to the negative ones will make a tremendous difference.
I’m Guilty!
I never really practiced the art of showing gratitude until I realized that I was living a life with a lot of negativity. I discovered this interesting fact after reading many self-help books, blogs, and watched YouTube videos on gratitude to enhance my understanding of the topic. Initially, I was in denial. I couldn’t believe that I had any real negativity lingering around. After spending some time accepting my flawed way of thinking, I realized I was given an opportunity to see my weakness and change.
The Process
After conducting hours of research over several weeks, I needed to find a way to become more positive about things in my life easily and effectively. I realized the one thing I was missing involved the ability to express gratitude on a daily basis. Learning to refocus my thoughts on positive things that happened each day opened up a new world to me. It’s easy to have negative feelings about things going on in our lives out of habit. I had to learn how to break the vicious cycle of constantly living in a negative light including when negative things actually happened to me.
How Did I Do It?
I started practicing being grateful each day by incorporating an exercise that involved saying three things I was grateful for that day before I went to bed. I have learned that sometimes people will use this exercise first thing in the morning when they wake up to ensure they have a positive outlook for the day, but I find it useful for me to practice prior to going to bed as I have a tendency to focus on negative events of the day before falling asleep. Ideally, my goal is to practice the exercise first thing in the morning and I will be starting the process soon. One side note is that I’ve never written down what I’m grateful for, but I do intend on starting to incorporate that as a new habit as well.
I’ve learned through this process that I can still be grateful for negative experiences which have occurred because they teach me valuable lessons. My mindset has drastically changed in a much more positive way. When I started this process about two months ago, I noticed I became incredibly aware of all the negative thoughts I had in my life and it felt like a magnet; it seemed as though I was manifesting negative things to happen to me. It was eerie. I always thought I was a very positive person and highly optimistic, but it was a huge smack back into reality that I wasn’t nearly as positive or optimistic as I had thought.
Gratitude Examples
You may be wondering what some examples of gratitude are and I’ve provided a simple list below with a few questions to think about.
Career. Are you grateful for what you do? Are you happy to see your colleagues? Are you making a positive impact on the world?
Family. Are you grateful for your family? Are you happy to have a caring family? Are you making special memories with your family?
Health. Are you grateful for your health? Are you happy to be in your current condition? Are you making improvements to your health that will help you live longer?
Whatever you feel grateful for in your life is personal and completely up to you. When I’m expressing my gratitude, I usually start off with, “I feel grateful today because . . . .” Some days will have things that seem much more simplistic than others, but it’s okay; the act of reflecting on why you’re grateful is what truly matters. The smallest thing can brighten your day like feeling grateful for someone holding a door open for you. When you practice being grateful, you’ll realize it will get easier to think of things as you continue to work on the exercise.
Final Thoughts
It’s incredible what positive thinking and changing your mindset can do as opposed to always thinking negatively. Amazing things will begin to happen and you’ll see the world differently. You’ll attract more positivity into your life and see less negativity. What you focus on is what you will attract in your life. For example, if I told you to close your eyes and think of a blue koala, when you open your eyes that will be your primary focus and difficult to stop thinking about especially if I told you not to think about it. Attract positive vibrations everywhere you go, learn the art of being grateful, and live a happier life.
