There are many definitions of the word gratitude. At its core, gratitude is a positive emotion, experienced consciously when we feel thankful for someone or something. Gratitude is a practice in which we acknowledge special gestures, the things going well in our life and the mundane things that we often take for granted (such as health, work or family for example).
To experience gratitude we must make a conscious effort to recognize and appreciate all the positivity we are having or creating in our life and its outcomes.
As we become more thankful individuals, we start to view what we have as enough, and suffer less due to the fact that we become more aware of the good than the bad or what we have versus what we lack.
“It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity … it makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
The practice of gratitude is regarded as the main focus positive psychology. The effect of gratitude on the prefrontal cortex has been proven to provide individuals happier and less depressed experience of life, as it allows us shift our attention from negative emotions, like jealousy, resentment and envy into positive emotions like satisfaction and fulfillment.
If you desire to start living a more grateful life you can start by:
1. Bringing awareness to the good things we have in our lives
2. Recognizing the positive that things outside of ourselves are bringing to our lives
3. Highlighting the parts of our selves that allow us to be present and able to experience this life
To have an attitude of gratitude is one of the best ways to improve our daily vibration and feeling of positivity. The aim is to make gratitude a habit so that our subconscious translates it into one of our traits. Keep in mind that it is practice and it takes patience as we are bringing our awareness to our purposes and setting daily intentions.
Today, make a commitment to yourself to start practicing gratitude and make thanksgiving a part of your everyday!