Gratitude encourages us to shift our focus from a negative perspective to a positive one. It’s an important tool that will help you become the happiest and most peaceful version of yourself. We all know what it means to be grateful, but why should we practice it every day? We often allow our focus to linger a little bit longer on the negative. When we practice gratitude each day, we are strengthening our ability to recognize the good in any given situation.
One of my favorite quotes is by Charles R. Swindoll. He states, “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” You can choose to let one negative situation impact your entire day, or you can choose to look at it in a positive light and carry on. I’ve been practicing gratitude consistently for the past few months and I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my mood. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain when you have a gratitude mindset. Here are 4 reasons to practice gratitude.
1) Create Better Habits Many of us tend to focus on the negative. Whether it’s a comment someone made or an experience that we had, the bad ones tend to stick out. When we practice gratitude, we are changing our perspective to focus on the positives, even in a negative situation.
2) Appreciate What You Have Practicing gratitude teaches us to appreciate what we have. There’s so much to be grateful for. From waking up in a cozy bed, to having food on the table, it’s the little things that shouldn’t be missed. When you appreciate what you have, you are no longer focusing your attention on what you don’t have.
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.
– Oprah winfrey.
3) Attract Positive Energy When you radiate positive energy, you attract it. You’ll start to notice who you feel good around and begin to prioritize what types of people you want in your life. You’ll learn to let go of people who have a problem for every solution and start attracting like-minded individuals who lift you up. You’ll no longer settle and spend your time with people who leave you feeling drained.
4) Happier Version of You We are human and there will be times when we give in to negative emotions. By practicing gratitude, I’ve learned that I can allow myself to feel these emotions but not let it consume me. I’ll allow myself 5-10 minutes to vent, get angry, and sulk. Once that time is up, I’m back to shifting my focus on the positives. This has brought me peace because I am no longer replaying a bad situation in my mind or holding on to it.
Every obstacle that we face is a learning lesson. That is already one positive take away. We can’t control everything that happens to us, but we can control how we manage them. Let’s practice gratitude together. Today I am grateful for my health, new opportunities, and for this platform to share my thoughts. Share one thing that you’re grateful for today in the comments.
Another lovely post! I wish more people would practice gratitude and see that life offers us so much to be grateful for🤍 I am practicing having gratitude every day as well, and you’re right about it having a positive effect on your mood.
I’m happy to hear that you’re practicing gratitude daily! It’s such a game changer and there’s so much to be thankful for. Thank you for reading!
I have never heard that quote from Charles Swindoll, but I am in love with it already because I find it accurately reflects my own experiences with gratitude and happiness. Thank you for sharing four important reasons how making gratitude practice a habit positively affect my life and the people in it!
It’s such an impactful quote and I’m glad you love it! Thank you for reading Jaya!
I love this! You’re absolutely right! I always try to be thankful for what I have. I love the quote from Oprah Winfrey. So true!
Lots of love,
Krissi of the marquise diamond
https://www.themarquisediamond.de
It’s one of my favorite quotes! Thank you for reading Krissi!
Such good points! it’s nice to focus on the things we have to be thankful for – some days we don’t have to look too hard, other days we can be a bit stressed and it’s harder to recognise the blessings but we often always have them! 🙂
Hope that your week is going well 🙂
I love that! The blessings are always there and somedays we just have to look a little harder. Thank you for reading Mica! I hope your week is going great as well!
I agree! Being positive and grateful helped me so much through my journey in life. You can choose to complain about life situations or you be grateful for the experience. Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely! Every experience is a learning lesson and that’s already something to be grateful for. Thank you for reading Hiyah!
Love this post 🥰
Gratitude is so important. I am grateful for living next to the beach. It’s not always easy to have a positive mindset but if you focus on the things that you do have control of and the things that we don’t focus on how we can manage it.
http://www.aboholife.co.uk
Yes! I completely agree. Living by the beach sounds like a dream! Thank you for reading Sarah!
I love all of these points 😊 my life has changed drastically since I started practicing gratitude daily. Would 100% recommend it to anyone
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you for reading Megan!
This has been a real stressful few weeks so this post is a great reminder to me to remember to practice gratitude. These are such helpful tips and the quotes you’ve chosen are perfect. Thanks for sharing this.
I’m sorry to hear that it’s been stressful lately! Sending you well wishes Jodie. Thank you for reading!
It’s definitely good to think of the positive side of things, something I’m grateful for today though? That I managed to go for a walk inbetween the storm.
That sounds so relaxing and lovely Victoria! Thank you for reading!
Practicing gratitude does definitely make you grateful for what you do have! A great post x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
It truly does! Thank you for reading Lucy!