Gratitude Changes Everything - Really!

Courtesy of http://www.essentiallybewell.com/

by Shanna Stubblefield

Would you like to make friends easier? Sleep better? Have higher self-esteem? Suffer from fewer aches and pains? Experience less anger, resentment and bitterness? Have a deeply purposeful life? Have less stress and feel more content with life?   Sounds pretty incredible, doesn’t it. But it’s not only possible, but pretty easy.

Achieving every one of those life improvements has been scientifically proven by doing one simple thing.  That one simple thing is to cultivate and experience gratitude more often. Here are ten easy ways to foster gratitude.  Choose one or two or all ten and get started today!

1.    Keep a gratitude journal. Every day, jot down a few things or people that you are grateful to have in your life.

2.    Carry thank you notes in your car, purse, or brief case. When you are stuck in traffic or in a waiting room, write a short, heartfelt note of gratitude to someone who has helped you in any way.

3.    Choose to be especially grateful to people you may not even usually notice; mail carriers, sanitation workers, janitors, cashiers, baggers, and construction workers.

4.    Write a thank you letter to somebody who helped you become the person you are today; a teacher, a parent, a friend, a religious leader, or a mentor.

5.    Every day, choose to be grateful for seemingly small things; sunshine, toast, warm blankets, hot showers, chocolate, hugs, handshakes, cool breezes, blooming flowers, snowflakes, colorful leaves, shade trees, lemonade, good books, etc.

6.    Get to know and learn to appreciate somebody who is different than you; whether it be somebody from a different religion, political persuasion, culture, or economic background.

7.    Give out hugs. Hug a police officer, a teacher, a neighbor, the cashier at your local convenience store, a child, a spouse, a new friend, somebody who has forgiven you, somebody you have chosen to forgive, etc.

8.    Teach a child to have gratitude. Bake cookies with a child and deliver them to neighbors, teachers, or friends. Help a child write a thank you letter to servicemen and women in the military. Always show gratitude for any courtesy extended to you, especially in the presence of a child.

9.    Choose to be grateful for positive things that have resulted from trials, heartaches and disappointments. For example, the ability to go back to school after a divorce, a change in career after a job loss, the outpouring of support and love after a death, learning to be more independent after a breakup etc.

10.  Have gratitude for yourself. Appreciate your own body for what it can do. Can you walk up a flight of stairs? Can you walk a mile? Can you run a mile? Can you hold a child’s hand? Can you feel the sunshine on your cheeks? Can you carry a bag of groceries? Can you plant a garden? Can you smell a rose?  Recognize and appreciate good qualities in yourself. Are you kind? Are you a good listener? Do you forgive others? Are you a hard worker?  Do you have an eye for detail?  Are you artistic or musical? Are you understanding and compassionate?  Are you passionate about your work?

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