“Happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have”
-Frederick Keonig
Gratitude is feeling appreciation so deep in your heart for all the beautiful blessings you have in your life and it has the power of transforming your whole life. It can change the way you view yourself, your friendships, your family, your marriage and the way you view life.
It’s a very important habit to practice if you want to increase your happiness and feel satisfied with your life. Many people might already know this but still not put it into practice.
In this post, I will be sharing with you the amazing benefits of gratitude and how you can implement it every day to change your life.
Benefits Of Expressing Gratitude
- Increases happiness
- Improves your health & immune system
- Betters your sleep
- Heightened self-esteem
- Increases mental strength
- Heightens your quality of life
- Reduces stress
- Increases your energy levels
- Helps you feel positive and optimistic
- Helps you feel satisfied with your life
- It brings more blessings to your life
The Importance Of Gratitude
Most people think being grateful is to simply say thank you. Practicing daily gratitude is more than just saying thank you. Gratitude is feeling grateful for all that you have no matter how big or small. Being grateful for things that money can’t buy, like family, love, health, seeing, breathing, smelling, feeling, etc.
When I started practicing gratitude every day, writing down in my journal everything I was grateful for, it changed my whole life. I found myself happier and more optimistic every day, I started appreciating everything I had in my life more, I started to feel content and satisfied with what I had in my life. It’s such an amazing feeling that is hard to even put into words!
Sometimes as humans we tend to see what we don’t have in our lives and what we lack which in turn makes us unhappy, thinking that we need more in life to be happy.
Gratitude makes you see how much you already have in your life and how it is ENOUGH for you to be happy with what you currently have. Everything else you receive in life is just a bonus to what you already have.
You will not only change your life but you will change the lives of those around you. They will notice how much happier and optimistic you are. In turn, you will inspire and uplift them as well.
How To Practice Gratitude
A way to practice gratitude is by having a gratitude journal. Whether that’s on your phone, computer, or an actual journal.
To make feeling grateful a habit, everyday write at least 3 or more things you are grateful for and why you are grateful for them in detail. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day, it can make a tremendous positive impact on your day and your life.
Here is an example: I am grateful for_____ because__________________.
Once you are done writing, read it to yourself. Don’t just simply read them but feel the gratitude for each one of those blessings. The key is to feel grateful! You won’t see results just by thinking about gratitude. The positive shift comes from feeling the gratitude in your heart.
If you have never done this before you might find it hard to practice it every day. There will be days when life gets busy and you won’t have time for it. There might be days when you had a hard stressful day and you might not want to but taking the time to write down at least ONE thing you are grateful for that day and why you are grateful for it in detail.
This will help you feel it more profoundly. It will make your day better and you will be able to sleep better too. The only way to see results is by practicing gratitude every day.
It’s easier to be grateful when your life is going great but it’s even more important to practice gratitude when life isn’t going well. That way it will give you hope and help you stay motivated to keep going. It will make you see how you still have so many blessings regardless of the hardship you might be going through.
Summary
If you shift your mind from thinking about what is missing in your life to being grateful for what you already have, that is when you will start to see your life change. That is when you start to feel happier and more joyful. You will not only benefit yourself but your happiness and positive outlook will change the lives of those around you.
Everyone has far greater blessings than they have troubles. Sit and think profoundly of all you are grateful for. If you do this every day, you will rewire your brain and gratitude will become a part of you. Instead of thinking about all your troubles or the things you are lacking, you will guide yourself back to thinking about all your current blessings.
Gratitude will make you feel what you have is already good enough for you to feel happy, and the other blessings that come into your life are just a bonus. Of course, you should still have goals to improve your life and continue growing but don’t wait till those goals are accomplished to feel happy. Be happy with what you have achieved till now and be happy looking forward to accomplishing your future goals.
Every day for the next 30 days, write down 3 or more things you are grateful every day. Don’t forget to feel the gratitude in your heart. Even when you are having a bad day, remember that this can help that bad day turn into a better day. Be grateful and express your gratitude to everyone and everything.
No matter what you have been through in life, you always have the power to change your life for the better. So for today and the rest of your life, I highly encourage you to practice gratitude daily. It will change your whole life just like it has changed mine and many others.
Being simply mindful of who and what you are grateful for are so necessary for yourself as well as others around. Makes life so much better by saying those two words, “Thank YOU.”
I completely agree with you, Yen! 🙂 Thanks for sharing with us. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Plenty of people talk about gratitude but I’m willing to bet they don’t FEEL it like they should. Great excersises!
Yes so true! Feeling grateful is what makes the positive changes in your life. Thanks for commenting Jessica! Have a lovely day 🙂
I love this, definitely a reminder we all need to hear!
Yes definitely! 🙂
What a thought provoking blog post. We are thankful and grateful for health, happiness, family and friends.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it 🙂
It is amazing what a thankful heart can do. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I agree with you 🙂 Thank you!
Excellent article. I am a true believer in expressing gratitude, even when you think you don’t have anything to be grateful for. There is always something, and it’s important to recognize it and appreciate it.
An important reminder that our daily habits, no matter how small or large, truly shape us. This seems to be especially true when it comes to something like gratitude. When we are constantly told we aren’t enough and don’t have enough, a simple daily practice of feeling gratitude can certainly change a lot.
Great post! I agree – 100%! I believe that when people are grateful, much more fantastic things can happen.
It’s important to feel happy now, not in a year or 5. Even if you have a bad period in your life, things will get better, but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be grateful for what you already have.
Kisses ❤️
Mona Bednarska
Gratitude is starting to become a foreign concept with many of today’s ‘entitled’ youth and I think that is part of what it wrong with society today. I agree with your post entirely, how can you find happiness/take pleasure in things without being grateful for them?
And paying it forward is a terrific stress reliever.
There are way too many people in the world who don’t show any gratitude for anything. They should read this.
Inspirational write very true
Oh yyyyeeesssssss! Gratitude is a must for me!!!!
This is such a wonderful post! Gratitude is truly essential to living a happy life.
Wonderful post! Very Inspiring Thoughts.