Hello Readers!
Thank you for continuing to follow along. Today I would like to talk about gratitude & gratefullness.
When we talk about gratitude, we tend to think of what we are grateful for. The two words go hand in hand but they do not share the same meaning. Being grateful for something or someone is more of a feeling of thankfulness, and it is the first step towards feeling gratitude. Gratitude, then, is more of a practice. It’s intentional to practice gratitude. It’s the manifestation of love and gratefulness so that when we say “have an attitude of gratitude,” it’s more of a mindset rather than a feeling.
I bring this up for a couple of reasons. One is that the other day, my life coach asked me what I am grateful for and what makes me happy. I started rattling off all the things I am grateful for, and in doing that, my energy shifted. Life hasn’t been really easy lately for many of us, myself included. There is so much negativity in the world and at times we are all dealing with our own personal pain and hardships as well as those of the people we love and care for. It’s easy to get caught up in that and forget that even in the midst of chaos, heartache, and pain, there is still something to be grateful for. Sometimes the good in our lives gets overshadowed by the bad, and when we are hurting or experiencing sadness, it’s hard to remain mindful of the things we take for granted.
I think the key then to being happy and living in the present moment is keeping gratitude at the forefront of our minds. I know it’s hard to be thankful for the hardships and obstacles we face, but for me, I am trying to accept that everything has a purpose in our lives, and we may not understand it and we may not like it, but there is something that will come from it. When we are living in a state of gratitude, we are more accepting of those challenges and understand that there is a purpose to everything. Without all those experiences and challenges, we wouldn’t be who we are today and we can’t become who we are meant to be.
I am grateful for a lot of things in my life. I am grateful for a lot of people and the role they have played in my life. For several reasons, I am personally feeling some deep sadness in my life right now, but I am trying to find joy and acceptance in the journey, which is why I share this with you because surely someone else out there needs to hear this too.
To practice gratitude, I will move forward trying to live my life in a way that shows that appreciation and helps me make sense of things I cannot always understand. The things that don’t always seem fair. One way to begin is to keep a gratitude journal or simply write down every day a few things we are grateful for. No matter how bad the day may have gone, at the end of the day, there is always something to be thankful for. Acknowledge the good in your life by speaking of it daily or writing it down. The act of writing them down helps keep us in a state of mindfulness and helps to focus on the positive. From here, we can go forth doing things for others from a state of gratitude. Turn your energy outward instead of inward and see how that feels in your own life. Practicing gratitude is the fastest way to experiencing happiness along the journey of life. When you are thankful for what you have and who you have beside you, you will always have enough.
My hope for all of you reading this is that you too will Fearlessly and Faithfully try to adopt an attitude of gratitude in your lives. Be grateful for the ability to share your blessings with others. “No gesture is too small when done with gratitude.” Oprah winfrey
