I have so many things to be grateful for and know the importance of acknowledging it in my life. Wanted to share a few ideas on the subject in the hope of helping someone else focus and apply gratitude and abundance to their lives. Joy is a outcome when one learns the principles of gratitude.
To live with gratitude means to live life as though everything is a miracle. That is essentially what true gratitude is all about. It’s about treating everything — whether you initially perceive it as being good or bad — as a miracle.
When you spend your days seeing miracles manifesting all around you, you naturally start feeling grateful and appreciative for everything that life brings your way. However, even though this sounds quite straightforward, this is certainly not a lens you can just suddenly switch on and start using at a moment’s notice. In order to begin seeing the world in this way you will essentially need to make a shift in how you interpret your life, events and circumstances. And this of course will take time and effort on your part. It won’t be easy, however it is bound to be of incredible value.
Expressing your gratitude through words is a great start, however it’s really only when you start expressing your gratitude through “actions” do you begin to feel true humbled gratitude and appreciation. As such, don’t hold yourself back. Go out into the world and express true authentic gratitude (through words and actions) for the good things you have going for you. Moreover, express your gratitude to people who have helped you, and express your gratitude even for all those unwelcomed problems that surprise you.
The True Value of Living with Gratitude:
So what are the true benefits of choosing to live with gratitude? For starters living with gratitude refocuses your mind. It refocuses it away from things that are lacking and not working; away from things that cause emotional turmoil, and instead onto what’s most important, onto what’s working, and onto the things that bring you most joy and happiness.
This mindset is known as an Abundance Mindset. You are no longer focused on things that are missing in your life, but instead divert your attention onto things that you already have in abundance. And as a result you no longer feel stressed, anxious, depressed or fearful. These emotions only come to the surface when we focus on what we don’t have; on what is missing, and on not having enough compared to others.
As a result of no longer indulging in these negative emotional experiences you naturally start feeling more energetic, your immune system strengthens and your health improves. The negative emotions we experience are after all often a cause of the deterioration of the physical body. As such, removing these emotions from your experience immediately strengthens your body, boosts your immunity and improves your health. However, the benefits of living with gratitude don’t stop there.
When you start living with gratitude you naturally begin feeling more optimistic. As a result you start feeling happier and more enthusiastic about life. And with this enthusiasm you have more willpower and therefore display more determination and resilience in the face of adversity.
Living with gratitude also tends to improve our level of alertness. This typically occurs because we are no longer caught up indulging in negative emotions that often cloud our judgment. Instead we naturally feel more fulfilled, confident and capable, and as a result we become more alert of our own behavior, of other people and of our surroundings. This alertness then helps us think more clearly about our life and circumstances, and as a result living with gratitude allows us to express our creativity more readily.
These are of course just some of the benefits derived from living with gratitude. But what does it actually look like to live with gratitude each and every day? What’s involved and how exactly do we need to think about our life and circumstances in order to live this way each and every day?
Here are some principles to guide you on your living an abundant and grateful life:
The “Abundance and Gratitude Principles”
1. Gratitude is awareness that, as things come to you, they are exactly what you need not necessarily what you want – be it people, circumstance, or challenges.
2. Worry is the opposite of gratitude; it is the failure to understand that you have been and will continue to be provided for each day. Faith overpowers worry and anxiety.
3. Whenever fear over your future encroaches, stop to observe a tree. Consider how the tree continues to stand tall and grow throughout the various cycles and seasons of its life span. Fear makes us stronger when we walk through it to the other side where gratitude resides.
4. Worry is an action. Gratitude is an action. Both are optional. By choosing gratitude you drive out the space and time for worry.
5. Gratitude is simply noticing the good things in your life – both big and small.
6. What you pay attention to, or notice, tends to expand and grow.
7. Each day brings a multitude of opportunities to feel gratitude and appreciation. Opportunities are valuable.
8. When you neglect the action of appreciating, you limit your potential for joy and contentment in the present moment. Mindfulness is part of gratitude.
9. Worry does not prevent bad things from happening; it only prevents you from accessing joy in this moment. Keep focusing on the little and big joys that are yours each day.
10. The present moment is the only place where joy and contentment can exist. Tomorrow is not promised so the present is truly all we have.
Begin today following the principles that bring joy and abundance! If you want to contact Dr. Kathie Mathis for counseling, life coaching, speaking at your next event go to https://theccbi.com
