Consistent gratitude is one of the most powerful tools that you can use to propel yourself into a brighter tomorrow.
When being grateful everyday, you are literally growing new neurons in your brain and who doesn't want more neurons in their brain!!
As you become aware of the multitude of blessings already present in your life, you will begin to focus on abundance more and more.
This can set you on a path to a mental state rich in optimism.
This transformation takes place as you begin to express genuine gratitude to others, and start feeling gratitude for everything in your life that brings you joy.
Where your focus go's, your energy flows.
If you're always focusing on the negatives you will use up all your energy maintaining and creating a life FULL of negatives.. When you focus on the good in life, you will SEE more good in your life, your life will FEEL more positive and you will start to ACT more positively and you will then create more positive situations, ending in a happier you with a happier more fulfilling life.
You are a big influence
Your attitude is like the ripples created from a pebble being dropped into a lake, your actions and attitude don’t just affect you and your immediate circle, they have far reaching effects too.
Can you think of a time in your life when someone's behaviour really affected you? And it has stuck with you all those years? This is an example of the ripple effect and how it can have far reaching consequences. Did it have a positive or negative influence on you? How did it make you feel? and how did it cause you to act from then on? This is the power of YOUR attitude on other people's lives.
You will start to notice when you are happy, grateful, honest and complimentary of and around other people, they will start to relay this back to you, and because they will now feel more energised and happy they will then pass this on to their circle of friends, family and colleagues, creating more fulfilled and happier people all round, and the ripple effect gos on... Your actions, behaviour and mood will ALWAYS affect the people around you, you can’t expect your partner or kids to be really happy when all you're doing is moping around all day and having a good moan. Become a positive influence in the lives of others and reap the benefits.
Become Receptive to Abundance
A great way to increase your awareness of the abundance you already have is to start a gratitude journal. You don’t have to wait for something great to come into your
life to appreciate it. Instead, just open your notebook once a day and take a few minutes to write down everything you’re thankful for.
You can feel grateful for anything, big or small.
On days when you think you have absolutely nothing to be appreciative for, you can prime the pump by taking stock of the little things.
For instance, take note of the air you’re breathing or the food in your pantry.
Once you realise that there are so many things to be grateful for, you’ll find that you can think of more and more blessings in your life.
After several weeks of journaling in this way, you may find that you’re spontaneously running into “good luck.”
You are training your brain (The Reticular Activating System) to spot opportunities. You’ve convinced your subconscious that you’re positively swimming in abundance. And why not? You deserve it!
Gratitude is a Tool
Gratitude can put you on the path to becoming a stronger person. Use gratitude proactively to arm yourself against negativity and tough times. Focus on what you do have as opposed to what you don’t have.
A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology entitled “Counting Blessings versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-being in Daily Life” found that those who maintained a grateful attitude experienced greater physical and psychological well-being.
The study shows that daily gratitude increases self-esteem. It also reduces materialism, envy, and self-centred tendencies. Gratitude can also help you to form more meaningful relationships and generate social capital. People who consistently express gratitude are trusted more than those who don’t.
Still other studies suggest that as you cultivate gratitude, you’re more likely to grow in response to stress, instead of shrink.
By keeping the things you’re thankful for in your mind, you can reduce stress. When you deal with stressors more pro-actively, others will notice your new-found confidence.
All of these effects combine to create new opportunities in your life that you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. So go ahead: start a gratitude journal, and let the stress melt off. Open yourself up to the possibility of abundance. You’ll be glad you did!
Cherish today, you will never get this day back.
Love Jess X