What do you do to express gratitude for the good things in your life? How does the expression of gratitude impact you when you do? Gratitude is an attitude – acknowledging the goodness in your life and recognizing the source of this goodness. You don’t usually have gratitude for yourself, but for another person, things you have, special events you have attended or accomplishments you have made. Gratitude indicates humility. None of us could be who we are without the contribution of others. Gratitude engages the heart and the mind because there are three aspects of Gratitude: you have to intellectually recognize the “Goodness,” willingly acknowledge it, and appreciate it emotionally.

 Research has proven that individuals, who practice gratitude on a regular basis, even 2-3 times a week, feel better about their lives as a whole. They have fewer physical complaints and spend more time exercising. They feel more energized, alert and optimistic. Those who practice gratitude are more likely to help someone with a problem or offer emotional support. So not only do they feel better, but also they practice good works. Research has proven that grateful people experience higher levels of positive emotions, such as happiness, joy, and love. But, Gratitude should not be considered “Pollyannaish,” where suffering or adversity are ignored. Practitioners of Gratitude are able to deal with adversity and suffering more successfully because of their optimistic viewpoint. Research also demonstrates that grateful individuals have less of a need for material possessions, and due to their happier state, live 7-9 years longer. Practicing Gratitude may insulate an individual from the destructive impulses of bitterness, resentment and jealousy.

What keeps you from practicing Gratitude? What are some Gratitude Stoppers?

Do you tend to have negative thoughts that run through your mind? Do you compare yourself to others? Do you hear yourself say, “I wish I was…?” You may be playing the victim or feel insufficient, that you are not deserving of a blessed life.

For most people, the nemesis of “Busyness” is a main excuse for not practicing Gratitude. The average person spends 40 minutes a day on Facebook, and just under 2 hours on all social media, updating, liking and posting. Imagine if you simply spent 10 minutes of the 120 minutes on Gratitude? Or even 20 minutes? How might your life shift?

There are three ways to begin practicing Gratitude in as few as 10 minutes a day. First, consciously identify any ungrateful thoughts and replace them with Grateful thoughts, and then take that inner feeling and transform it into action. Second, start to journal, capturing 5 people, events or accomplishments that you are grateful for that day. The more you practice recording what you are grateful for, you will discover that you have more to be grateful for! And third, begin a practice of mindful meditation, with breath, stillness, and prayer. Be present in the moment and give attention to the silence that surrounds you. This creates an inner peaceful presence and a joyful life.

“Gratitude frees us from past regrets and future anxieties.  By cultivating gratefulness, we are freed from envy over what we don’t have or who we are not.  It doesn’t make life perfect, but with gratitude comes the realization that right now, at this moment, we have enough, we are enough!”  Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D.