Practicing Gratitude: Beginning Your Journey
Gratitude is a simple act of appreciation, but when practiced daily it can have a tremendous impact in your life very quickly. It has the power of transformation. Acknowledging how grateful you are for the things in your life (little and big) has been proven to shift an individual's focus. In example, giving more focus to the things that are going right in your life has the power to leave negative energies and experiences behind in the past more easily. Practicing gratitude regularly has the ability to change a person’s perspective, energy and the things they attract into their lives.
A great way to begin implementing this practice into your life is to practice gratitude as soon as you wake up. Think about all the things that are going well in your life and simply say thank you for them. Say thank you for the happy, joyful and peaceful day you are about to have. This has the ability to set the tone for your day in a more positive manner.
By focusing on all the good in your life, those good things start to expand. Remember, we are all energetic beings and what we continually giving thought to, starts to attract even more of things that align with your grateful thoughts.
Not sure how to start or what to be grateful for? Divine Growth Coaching’s own Love and Relationship Coach, Armida Abreu Martinez, suggests by starting to simply say, “thank you” when you sit down to eat or when you are about to have a conversation with someone. Being thankful for the simpler things in life is a great starting point that allows your imagination to expand and helps the act of gratitude become more natural. Soon you will be thinking of handfuls of things to be thankful for. It is like everything in life, the more you practice; the easier it will come.
Another great way to start practicing gratitude is with a Gratitude Journal. You can buy any notebook or journal that you would like and simply start to jot down things you are thankful for every day. Setting aside 3-5 minutes in your morning routine can make a big impact on how your days flow. If you feel like nighttime would be better suited for you, make it a habit to think back throughout your day as you are lying down to go to sleep. Begin to list out the things that you are grateful for in your head or in your journal. Helpful tip: Be sure to add emotion as to why you are grateful. For example, “I am grateful for my eyes, because I can see.” “I am grateful for my legs, because I can walk.” The “because” will connect you with that specific emotion and feeling that you are trying to evoke from practicing gratitude.
We want to end this blog with an action item for you as the reader. Find someone has implemented practicing daily gratitude in their life. Ask them for their honest feedback as to how it has affected their life. There is nothing better than hearing real feedback from the ones you know and trust. We wish you the best of luck as you start your journey of gratitude!