Start Each Day with a Grateful Heart
“We are most alive when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” (Thornton Wilder)
Are you conscious of all the treasures in your life? Are you aware of all the good that happens to you daily? Have you made a commitment to focus on the good stuff? As each second passes, your life is unfolding. Life is a kaleidoscope; a combination of highs, lows, and in-betweens. It is easy to forget this and go into a funk when you are not experiencing the “up times”. But an important life lesson is to be on the look-out for, to find and acknowledge appreciation and gratitude no matter your current life circumstances. There is always something to be grateful for if you just open your eyes, mind and heart.
This life lesson has become very clear to me over the last couple of years, especially, as we all have experienced a myriad of ups, downs and challenges. Amidst all this challenge and stress, my eyes were opened to the significant caring, kindness and compassion I experienced from all the people who I have encountered. These experiences deeply tuned me in to feelings of appreciation and gratefulness. As a result, I immediately began to see more to be grateful for the days, weeks, and months that followed. You see a central truth of life is that we always find what we look for; so, if we look for things that we appreciate and are grateful for; then, we will begin to see more of those things that cross our path. As Oprah Winfrey said, “If you start focusing on what you have and what you are grateful for, you will begin to see more.”
So now you might be thinking, “How do I create more gratitude in my life?” Well, it is easy, and you already know how to do it; the hard thing is reminding yourself to do it. Following are five ideas that I pulled from Mike Robbins’ book, “Focus on the Good Stuff”. You don’t have to do all five; just pick one that resonates with you and do it, or create your own:
Keep a gratitude journal. Each day write down 3 – 5 things for which you are grateful.
Share your gratitude with others. Each day share with others’ things for which you are grateful.
Create a morning or evening ritual. Before you get out of bed or before you go to sleep make mental note of things in your life for which you are grateful. Pick different things each day.
Ask people what they are grateful for. Throughout your day ask people you encounter what they are grateful for.
Use a gratitude rock. Find a small rock, crystal or stone. Place it in your pocket or purse. Each time you reach your hand into your pocket or purse and touch the rock, think about something for which you are grateful.
Again, you only need to pick one and practice it. You don’t have to be perfect. If you begin to put this positive practice to work in your life, I am sure you will begin to see transformation occur. There is something in every day to celebrate with thanksgiving; no matter what your current life circumstances.
As Abraham Maslow stated, “This is the gift – to have the wonderful capacity to appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder, and even ecstasy.”
Repeat this mantra each morning, “I am grateful for the many blessings coming my way.”
