I’ve heard it over and over again – gratitude will change your life. It wasn’t until I really challenged myself to create a daily gratitude practice that I recognized the value for myself. It sounds so simple but common knowledge is not common practice. Here are three reasons why you should challenge yourself to be grateful everyday.
1) It helps you get more of what you want.
This sounds counterintuitive but I am a firm believer in the Law of Attraction. If you’ve never heard of it, the basic premise is that what you put out there is what you will get in return (like attracts like). Think about being around someone who is energetic, kind, and uplifting and how being around them totally changes your mood. They may possibly even inspire you to show up differently. Same is true for that grumpy co-worker who always leaves you feeling drained and negative. When we focus on gratitude, we will start to notice more positives in our lives. It’s not that the positives weren’t there before, we just weren’t paying attention to them. Think of it as driving past something for years but never realizing it was there. Our brains can only process so many things at once and we see things differently if we are looking for something specific.
2) It can change relationships.
I’ve hit periods in my life where some of my relationships were not how I wanted them to be. During these times I challenged myself to notice what I was grateful for with that person or positive moments we had together during the day, even if they were just a moment. This has been especially helpful when my kids start to drive me crazy. I find myself noticing a smile, a thank you, or how good it feels when they snuggle me as we read a book together. There will be days where finding the good is way more challenging, but these are the days it helps to notice it the most.
3) It expands our mindfulness and creates a sense of contentment.
We are always going full steam ahead and don’t take time to enjoy the journey. Having a gratitude practice only takes minutes but it requires some stillness and some attention to the now. Asking yourself, “What is going well right now? What or who am I appreciative of right now?” keeps us from always wanting more or pushing ourselves to work harder than necessary. It is also much harder to be in a bad mood when we are reflecting on our gratitude.
Because we are Daring Women, I am challenging each of you to take your gratitude practice to the next level in the month of November. I want you to think of something or someone you are grateful for each day. Instead of just recognizing your gratitude, I am challenging you to express it in a different way. If you are grateful for coffee, consider buying a stranger’s coffee or pick up an extra for a coworker. If you are grateful for a friend, send them a card telling them how important they are to you. If you are grateful for your dog, spend some extra time giving him extra love.
Post a picture or write a post to our Daring Women Facebook or Instagram page with the hashtag #daretobegrateful and the person who engages the most in November will win a free ticket to the Daring Women and Balance event in December. Let’s inspire each other and start being the change we want to see in the world.