I am a big believer that an attitude of gratitude goes a long way in helping you realize your hopes and dreams, and enjoy your life’s journey along the way. As we head towards Thanksgiving weekend it is especially important to be grateful of those who have helped you get wherever you are. Gratitude can help you enjoy the experience, in its fullness, of attaining that which you desire. By being grateful for that which you have (big or small), you pause to reflect on the happiness, joy, love, peace and other positive things that what you are grateful for bring to your life.
Putting your mind in this kind of setting is extremely powerful to helping you obtain what you want. For only when we take the server approach and help others do they return the favor. When your mindset is right, it allows you to be much more present for the happy things that are happening in your own life. It also does wonders to help prevent challenges and unimportant distractions steal your experience of these positive things away from you.
One of my mentors Blaire Signer talks a lot about an attitude of gratitude and I truly believe it will help you be better. I also believe, based on experience, that what we focus on expands. So, if I spend my time focused on what is wrong in my life, that which I am focused on by default takes a larger role in my daily experience, simply because it is where I put my attention. On the other hand, if I spend my time focused on what is RIGHT in my life, that which I am focused on by default will take a larger role in my life. Imagine how you would feel if more of the things that you are grateful for were more present and bigger in your life. The more I define myself as that person who is growing, the more I become that person.
Here is a great exercise of gratitude that I got from Blair. I hope you implement and enjoy them!
Write down in your journal everything you are grateful for as it happens throughout your day, so that you pause and become present for that special moment.
Also be sure to take a few minutes at the start of your day and write out what you’re grateful for. You will be surprised at how this sets the tone for the rest of the day in a positive way for you. Some people will write what they are most grateful for in a journal at the beginning of the day, to start their day off in a positive way and remind them that no matter what challenges life sends, they have many things to be grateful for.
There are of course many other methods of expressing gratitude. Everyone has their own way and should choose a way that makes the most sense for them. What is your preferred way to express your gratitude? Tell us in the comments below!