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Gratitude is a Tool
Gratitude can put you on the path to becoming a stronger person. Use gratitude proactively to arm yourself against negativity and tough times. Focus on what you do have as opposed to what you don’t have. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology by Robert A Emmons and Michael E. McCullough entitled “Counting Blessings versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-being in Daily Life” found that those who maintained a grateful attitude experienced greater physical and psychological well-being.
The study claims that daily gratitude increases self-esteem. It also reduces materialism, envy, and self-centered tendencies. Gratitude can also help you to form more meaningful relationships and generate social capital. People who consistently express gratitude are trusted more than those who don’t. Still other studies suggest that as you cultivate gratitude, you’re more likely to grow in response to stress, instead of shrink.
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Become Receptive to Abundance
A great way to increase your awareness of the abundance you already have is to start a gratitude journal. You don’t have to wait for something great to come into your life to appreciate it. Instead, just open your notebook once a day and take a few minutes to write down everything you’re thankful for.
You can feel grateful for anything, big or small. On days when you think you have absolutely nothing to be appreciative for, you can prime the pump by taking stock of the little things. For instance, take note of the air you’re breathing or the food in your pantry. Once you realize that there are so many things to be grateful for, you’ll find that you can think of more and more blessings in your life. After several weeks of journaling in this way, you may find that you’re spontaneously running into “good luck.”
There are some that tell you that this is due to “positive vibrations.” I propose that it is due to training your brain to spot opportunities. You’ve convinced your subconscious that you’re positively swimming in abundance. And why not? You deserve it!
When you deal with stressors more proactively, others will notice your new-found confidence. All of these effects combine to create new opportunities in your life that you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. So go ahead: start a gratitude journal, and let the stress melt off. Open yourself up to the possibility of abundance. You’ll be glad you did!
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Gratitude is one of my favorite practices. Love how you brought light to it here, also.
Angel, you write so beautifully and cogently. And what a study you cite– powerful. Do you want to put your name and/or face somewhere on your opening page? People would probably like to know about you. I know I would.
Kebba,
I tend to be a bit camera shy. But stepping out of comfort zones is part of our continual growth.
Gratitude and gratitude journals, are a way to create new neural pathways in the brain. Soon’ it becomes a way of life.
I think gratitude is important. The small things matter.
I’m a big fan of positive psychology interventions like gratitude, yet I’m not sure I actually use it enough on my self. I’m certainly grateful for the neurologist who referred me to autonomic specialist even though I didn’t fit the criteria. That lead to four of my health diagnoses. God knows where I’d be if they hadn’t done that
Thanks so much for this motivating post! Yes, it is true: gratitude creates a positive change in our moods and lives. I have started to write down every morning in my journal at least 5 things I am grateful for. This practice to start my day has helped me a lot.
Journaling is a great habit to get into. I agree that it can really help with stress. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about gratitude!