Accessing the Power of Gratitude
by Kathleen Cleary
Women Entrepreneurs and Helping Professionals:
As we work to grow our businesses, we are always looking for ways to help us stay on an even keel, feeling joy and contentment in both our business and our life. Today’s post is a reminder of a simple tool that is available to each and every one of us that helps us find contentment, happiness and peace.
The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting 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 may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.
That’s why practicing 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 a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.
There are many things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What’s on your list?
Some Ways to Practice Gratitude
• 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.
• 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.
• When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.
• Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.
As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.
I know that building a business while balancing the rest of your life can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be a struggle.
212612
Have a day full of gratitude and prosperity!
Best,
Kathleen
Author’s content used under license, © 2011 Claire Communications
As a business marketing mentor & copywriter, Kathleen helps women entrepreneurs and small business owners create a plan to grow their business while successfully balancing their life so they actually enjoy the business, make more $$ and love the life they live.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I really enjoyed this article Kathleen, I too find gratitude to be the quickest way to get and stay in the frame of mind you have to be in to create what you really want in life!
Great ideas on how to express gratitude. It’s hard to be sad or mad when you feel gratitude.
Great article!
I am a true believer in the power of gratitude and have my weekly gratitude journal, feeling grateful even in challenging situations is the key to overcome them.
I like the idea about a gratitude collage, so there you put pictures of things and events you are grateful for?
Kathleen,
I like the title Heart & Soul, that is a great place to start.
When “Attitude determines altitude” Dale Carnegie, I have never understood why people complain about anything. Gratitude and appreciation in who we are and what we have will make everything better. As Zig Zig states, “You can’t do everything with a positive attitude, but you can do everything better with a positive attitude.” I love to take things that bug me and crush the negative thoughts with positive ones. It works every time with only a little effort. It take no talent or skill to complain about anything. Thank you for your insight. It is fun being a part of the Carnival Blog with inspiring people like you. Love and Light!
Finding the “hidden blessing in a challenge,” as you put it, can take great effort. The answer can be in finding those places of gratitude in our hearts that help drive us to higher thinking. Thanks for a thoughtful article!