To pay gratitude to something or someone is completely free of charge. It takes seconds and can instantly make you feel happy & feel a rush of joy. Reminding yourself for all that you are grateful for, whether it is big or small, it can literally be anything. I started gratitude journaling a while back now but more consistently over the last couple of months.
The more I journaled the more my mindset continued to focus on the positive things in life, making light of a bad situation, seeing the silver lining, seeing the good in every opportunity. To me that showed how easy you can change your state of mind, your mental attitude, to shift to a more positive pattern.
I, therefore, encourage you to start a gratitude journal and bring it into your daily ritual to start your day with a positive outlook.
We are so quick to focus on our own and others' faults over celebrating and praising the good. We are quick to complain about the things we don’t have & comparing to others, over appreciating the things we already have. Whilst I will mentally pay gratitude to things daily, I try to actually write down what I am grateful for most days, finding gratitude in all situations no matter how bad; as I feel it shifts my mental attitude. For example, where relationships have ended, I pay gratitude to the lessons learned and the loving moments we had, over the love lost. I try to be thankful for the things I most love about my mind & body, speaking kind words to myself, over obsessing over the parts I dislike. Those are bigger situations, however, daily I can pay gratitude to things as small as my plants and the way they brighten my home, it can be something as small as an item of yours you love (my bed is normally on that list!), your pet, a meal you’ve eaten, a blanket – absolutely anything & everything. It is about being thankful over taking something for granted. There will always be someone in the world that is worse off than you, therefore take the time to count your blessings. There are some in the world that have nothing material but can be the happiest people – they are grateful for the things they do have because they don’t have a lot. That to me is a huge lesson to be learned.
In western society, we can obsess on material items and forget what really is important. This is by no means a guilt trip, it is a reminder to take a step back and appreciate the things in life that matter the most.
Be grateful for yourself and be grateful for your loved ones. Pay compliments to make you and that person feel good. Be thankful for your fortune no matter how big or small, be thankful for having a roof over your head, be thankful for your health, JUST BE THANKFUL.
Spread the joy, spread the love - give it a try, what have you got to lose?