Benefits Of Practicing Gratitude

Did you know that being grateful and thankful for what you have is good for your health and will enhance your well-being?

Have you ever caught yourself focusing on the negative and blaming people and things for certain things you don’t like in your life?  I think we all do sometimes and it really doesn’t serve us in any way.  Focusing on the negative puts you into a negative mindset and a negative mindset actually attracts more negativity.  What if we all automatically focused on the positive?  

Practicing Gratitude Improves Our Health

 

People who focus on the positive and practice gratitude in their life report feeling more alive, having a stronger immune system, sleeping better, and being able to handle stress better.  People who write down what they’re grateful for before bed tend to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.  When you go to bed feeling positive it’s much easier to relax and let the stress of the day disappear.

A study done by, Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami, showed that those individuals who practiced weekly gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives.

What Happens When We Practice Gratitude?

 

People who regularly practice gratitude experience:

·         More positive emotions

·         Lower levels of depression

·         Greater life satisfaction

·         Better health

·         Greater vitality

·         A more optimistic outlook on life

·         The ability to build stronger relationships

·         The ability to handle stress better

·         The capacity to empathetic and to be able to understand other’s perspectives

 

Let’s Be Grateful! 

 

 

Like any skill gratitude requires practice.  Keep a gratitude journal and write down a new thing every day that you’re grateful for.  Don’t just write that you’re grateful for the same stuff every day.  Look for the small things in life to be grateful.  I don’t love having to work super early, but I’m grateful for the lack of traffic on the mornings that I go in early. 

When you actively practice gratitude, a neat thing happens.  Over time you’ll notice that you start to naturally see the positive in every situation – you’ll actually start to seek out the positive spin even when situations seem negative. 

Anytime we set out to form a new habit there’ll be a few obstacles along the way so set yourself up for success.  Find a time during the day where you can really focus on what you’re grateful for.  Maybe first thing in the morning before everyone gets up.  Or maybe use your commute to think about what you’re grateful for.  Even if you don’t write it down just thinking about what you’re grateful for is very beneficial for your health.  Maybe start a ‘Gratitude’ Facebook group.  

What Are You Grateful For?

 

Find something to be grateful for right now.  I’m grateful for spell check :D

Want It? Then You Can Have It!

You Can Have Anything You Want

 

Did you know that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to?  A lot of people don’t believe that and that’s why they never reach for what they really want.  Instead they ‘put up with’ what they have, believing that they don’t have the power to change their life.  

Reaching for big goals is scary and there’s a lot of work involved but if there’s something in your life that you really want to change it’ll be worth it.  All you have to do is believe right down to your core that you are capable of making these changes and you will achieve your goals.  You have to jump all in and ignore any doubt you’re feeling – just keep pushing forward.  If the end result is important enough to you, you will take the steps to get there and you will be successful.  

Tips That Will Change Your Life:

 

Take complete responsibility for yourself.

Know that you are completely responsible with how your life turns out.  No one is owed anything in life.  If there’s something you want, you have to go after it and if you fail all you need to do is go at it at a different angle.  You can’t blame people or circumstances for your situation.  There have been many people who have overcome unimaginable obstacles to reach success.  Once you realize that you are 100% responsible for your quality of life you’ll start making the changes you need to achieve the results you want.

Write down your goals.

Grab a pen and write down what you really want and 5 reasons why you want it.  Become obsessed with your goal.  Think about your goal and your reasons every day.  When you do this an amazing thing will happen – without even thinking about it you’ll start taking steps that will lead to your goal and the people and knowledge you need will seem to magically appear.  It’s not magic.  The opportunities and tools have always been there for you but it’s not until you’re actually looking for them that they appear.  Here’s a little exercise to try.  Close your eyes and think about how many blue things there are in the room you’re in right now.  Now look around the room and count how many blue things you can see.  There’s probably a lot more than you realized because when you’re purposely searching for something and you’re focused on that one thing, all of a sudden it seems like you’re seeing more of it.  Open your mind and eyes to the opportunities, knowledge and people you need to help you achieve your goal.

Commit to the process.

You have your goal written down and you’re ready to go after it.  It’s important to keep your ultimate goal in mind but don’t just focus on the outcome.  There will be a process involved in getting what you want and you have to fall in love with the process because it’s what you’re going to need to be doing every day to achieve the goal.  Commit 100% to the process and you’ll be successful at getting what you want.

Block out self-doubt.

With any major change, there’s going to be times that you’re going to doubt your ability.  Don’t let those thoughts take up residence in your brain.  When you have those moments of self-doubt just understand that it’s normal to feel this way and it actually means that you’re on the right track.  Push those thoughts out and just keep moving forward.  I almost completely destroyed my business because I made a decision based on fear and self-doubt.  Luckily, I was able to turn it around and it turned out the be a very valuable lesson for me.

Truly believe it is possible.

More and more studies are proving just how powerful the mind is.  Napoleon Hill knew this and wrote about it in his book Think and Grow Rich, which he wrote in 1937.  If you’re looking for some good personal development reading you have to read this book   If you truly believe to your core that something is possible it will be possible for you.  Humans respond to what the brain expects to happen, so if you expect success and honestly believe it will happen, it will happen!  If you’re thinking ‘ya right, just because you believe in something doesn’t mean it’s going to happen’ than you’re in the wrong mind set.  Start training your brain to believe that what you want is possible and learn how to shut down the negative thoughts.  Decide what you want, know that you will achieve it and it’ll happen.

Your Life Your Way

 

I know that making changes is scary and sometimes it seems like it’s better play it ‘safe’, but when you think about the grand scheme of your life how do you really want that to look?  Is right now good enough for you?  Do you feel like you’re settling for something that’s not fulfilling?  Is it worth settling for?  Don’t settle for what you think you deserve, go for what you know you deserve!

Live Your Life With Intention

Intention & Purpose

In these busy times where we’re bombarded with too much information and too many products to consume it can be really difficult to live with intention and purpose.  I think all the distractions causes us to lose a deep connection to ourselves and without that deep connection your life isn’t as fulfilling as it could be.  How can we live life with intention and purpose when we’re continuously being distracted by the latest info or gadget?  It takes a bit of work but it’s totally worth it if it means living a life you’re passionate about.

The Prep Work

 

Make a choice

 

Every day is a clean slate.  You get to make your own decisions and you get to choose what your attitude is.  You can let the little annoyances get you down or you can decide to notice them but not react to them, or even find the humorous side to them.  Nobody and no situation can make you feel a certain way – you get to choose how you feel and how you react.  Once you realize this and take ownership for your decisions and attitude you’ll be well on your way to living your life with intention.

Get to know yourself

 

You might think you already know yourself, but do you really?  Have you let yourself explore your true passions?  Do you even know what they are or are you too busy letting yourself become distracted by all the chaos around you?  What areas do you strive in?  What areas are you weak in?  What really gets you excited?  Take the time to really think about this and really get to know yourself.

The Practical Work

 

Stop comparing your life to someone else’s

 

Comparing your life to someone else’s just holds you back and doesn’t allow you to focus on your own purpose.  Everyone is going to live their life differently so comparing your life to someone else’s is a huge waste of time and energy.  Live your life and don’t worry about everyone else’s

Set goals

 

Decide what your true passion is and then write down your goals.  Write down your ultimate goal and then break that down into smaller goals that will get you there.  Create a roadmap of what you need to do to succeed and celebrate each time you hit a goal.

Stay focused

 

This one can be tough.  There are SO many distractions that are just begging for your time and attention.  Don’t let the distractions win!  Focus on what you want and keep moving towards it.  Spend 10 minutes every day reflecting on what you want and what the next step you need to take is.  When you learn how to block out the distractions you’ll truly feel like you’re living your life with purpose and intention.

What’s The Point Of All This?

Nobody wants to look back on their life and feel like they’ve wasted it.  If that’s how you’re feeling now don’t worry because it’s never too late to start living with intention and purpose.  Commit to living your best life and don’t let anything or anyone stand in your way.