Gratitude

This is an excellent time of year to discuss the topic of having gratitude simply because everyone is already in the mindset of giving thanks and taking a more in-depth look at all there is in our lives to be grateful for, but what if we took a closer look at the real meaning of gratitude in our lives.

Gratitude is so much more than saying the words "thank you."  Of course, those words are extremely important, but there is so much more to feeling gratitude than just being thankful.  As a matter of fact, when you genuinely have a sense of gratitude, it overpowers all other feelings inside.

There is an overwhelming sense of gratitude above and beyond thankfulness when something happens in your life that changes it for the better, like having a child or getting married.  You can also feel this sense of gratitude when you accomplish something amazing or when your feeling extremely loved, appreciated or blessed by someone or something in your life and your circumstances change for the better.

I teach my children to say thank you every day for things that people do for them, but gratitude is something that cannot be taught because it is a feeling that we experience when our lives are truly impacted in a good way.  So, the question is...how can we experience gratitude more often in our everyday lives?  Let's take a closer look at the different areas of your life to find out.

People- How are your relationships with others?  There have been studies that show that having gratitude attracts more positive people into your life and if you encourage this in others, you can strengthen your relationships even more.

Goals - What do you have yet to accomplish?  To ensure that you are heading in the right direction, take a look back at the past and all of the things you have already overcome and achieved. Now, celebrate your accomplishments, and your appreciation and gratitude will shift you into high gear towards the future! 

Health - Being grateful can completely shift your physical and mental health into a more favorable outcome, in fact, there are scientific studies that prove that gratitude can work as well a good medicine can.  The power of being grateful will completely change your mindset. Instead of focusing on what you do not have or what you have not done, say the words "I have all that I need" or "my life is full and flowing with blessings" or even  "I am following my hearts path" then you will start to see how big gratitude can become in your life.

There are a few suggestions that I would make in keeping gratitude in your life every day, and those would be to;

-make a list of the things you're grateful for and update it regularly

-speak positive words of encouragement to yourself about how far you have come and where you are heading

-practice kindness to others and find something good to do for someone every day to feel empowered and fulfilled

-surround yourself with people who love you and appreciate who you really are and encourage you to be all you can be.

-pray and give thanks for all of your blessings and you will be surrounded with an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

My affirmation for you this week is;

 "I am allowing my heart and my life to be filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude today and every day."