The Power of Gratitude?

The practise of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been bandied about in the mainstream for years. Long-term have even been carried out and they support the effectiveness of gratitude they suggest that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

But while we might know in our heart that gratitude is great for all these things it can be difficult to keep it up when your world is falling apart. Some might even say its a PollyAnna Attitude, that there is so much in his world that is broken. But we can’t take on all the woes of the world we can take care of our little corner.

We may have grown up learning to scan what is broken, undone, or a lack in our lives Training our neurons to look at life through a glass half empty

But for gratitude to help us Heal in needs to become more than just listing off thank you’s. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, create a new habit fire off new neurons. And that can take some time.

That’s why practising gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more about where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we nurture a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances out all the nasties of the world and gives us hope.

There are many things to be grateful for: colourful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, good food, health, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What’s on your list?

Some Ways to Begin Your Gratitude Practice

• Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
• Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures of the things that give joy (great one for the kids)
• Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.
• Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation. I promise you it will give you more energy to handle that challenging situation even those bigger world issues. 
• When you feel like complaining, flip your perspective and make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.
• Notice how your new practice of gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it in your journal, sing about it, say thank you for gratitude.
• Most importantly ‘Watch your Language’ ! What do you say when people ask how you are? 
• Watch how you frame situations! 

As you practice Gratitude, an inner shift will begin to happen and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you feel. That sense of feeling fulfilled is gratitude at work. 

My Journals are still my go to today and my cup of tea, my favourite pen and notebook in my sacred spot but maybe not so often.

If you would like to learn more about journal writing and how it can help you clear your mind and make those difficult decisions you can read more here.

Developing your own self-help tools is a powerful way to evolve your personal power. They are your go-to when life gets tough. My choice of tools might not be yours the trick is in finding the ones that work for you. self-help and

personal leadership and emotional intelligence are all part of how we evolve as a human being in our lifetime

is what it means to evolve and grow as a person as a soul.