How Gratitude Changes Everything About Your Life
Every year as the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, people around the world seem just a little bit nicer to one another. Doors are held open, smiles are exchanged, and people are happy. The attitude of gratitude is in the air!
One reason to get excited is because you get to catch up with extended family and far-away friends. It’s no coincidence people are in the best mood when they’re caught up with family, embracing each others’ warmth and companionship. The holidays bring out the best in everyone, no matter your religion or upbringing.
While we’re all grateful for a few months of goodwill and friendliness, it’s important to point out that this attitude doesn’t have to just be seasonal. If you want it to be, every day can truly be a miracle.
Benefits of Being Grateful
A few reasons to be grateful include:
Better sleep
Greater empathy
Increased happiness
Improved outlook on life
Increase in positive emotions
While you don’t have to keep your Christmas decorations up all year-round (although that doesn’t stop some people) your enthusiasm is what’s important.
A few things to be thankful for may include:
Good health
Close family
Stable income
Tight-knit friend group
Your favorite book, movie, or song
Your car so you can visit loved ones
Technology to instantly keep up with family and friends
The people that are thankful for their life live in good spirits. Like the sun, their enthusiasm beams out in all directions. People want to be around you when you’re fun and upbeat, not and grumpy and ungrateful.
Gratitude and love is contagious behavior- you feel just by being around these people.
How to be Grateful
Being grateful isn’t hard. It’s simply a shift in perspective of life. The shift is from a scarce mindset to one of abundance.
Start by acknowledging everything you’ve been given in life, instead of everything you’ve been deprived of. You can change your life no matter who you are, but you must first shift your perspective. It’s not rocket science; the better you feel about your life, the better your life will be. Plain and simple.
Below includes just a few techniques to help you change your mindset and give you a refreshing new look at the beautiful world around you.
Walk
Next time you have a few minutes to spare, leave your phone behind and take a walk around your neighborhood or through a trail in the woods. If you’ve read this or this post from me, you know that I’m a big advocate of going on walks.
Marvel at the leaves on the trees (or lack thereof) and observe the patterns of various animals you encounter (including humans). Take notice of what your five senses are telling you about the world. Be present and be thankful.
Like anything, sometimes you must practice before you can embody these feelings.
Donate
Whether it be to your time, money, or personal belongings, donating to others is proven to promote feelings of happiness. (Sometimes more for the one giving than receiving!)
I prefer to donate to people I directly interact with.
If you’re at a restaurant, give a bigger tip to your well-deserving server. Spend time visiting your grandparents. If you’re getting rid of good-condition clothing, tools, or other goods, run it by friends and family first to see if anyone can use it. Attend your little sibling’s sporting events to show your support.
When it comes to your time, don’t be so “busy” you miss interacting with people who make your life worth living.
Journal
If you don’t have a journal, write down a few things that you’re grateful for on any random piece of paper. If you journal already, add a few things you’re grateful for at the end of your entry. You’ll get the best results when you journal before going to bed, because the best sleep comes from being happy about life.
Journaling is great for mental health, and the best part is there’s no right or wrong way to journal. Your journal entries can be as loose or as structured, as silly or as serious as you want. The goal of journaling is simply to get everything floating around in your head down on paper and into a conscious, coherent thought. Bonus points if they're words of gratitude!
Mindful Meditation
Mindful meditation is one of the most impactful ways to shift your perspective on life. The goal of mindful meditation, put simply, is to become hyper-aware of everything going on around you.
Try doing this at your next family function: as you’re sitting at the dinner table, chatting in the living room, or mingling in the kitchen, become aware of how happy you are that you’re surrounded by love in that moment. How everyone around you enjoys being with you, and you enjoy being around them.
These realizations may only last a few seconds, but those few seconds, compounded over time can change the course of your entire life. The more you’re aware of your life and everything going on around you, the easier it is to recognize happiness. When you can acknowledge these happenings, especially in the moment as they’re happening, you begin to see how lucky you truly are.
Celebrate Others' Wins
As you catch up with the many happenings within your family and friends, express genuine interest in what’s going on in their lives. Find something they’re interested in and ask them to tell you about it. People want to be interesting. Aren’t you excited when someone shows interest in your life?
Maybe your cousin got promoted at their job, or your friend recently closed on a new house. Perhaps your sibling picked up a new hobby that you’ve never heard of before.
Whatever it may be, make it your job to be their #1 cheerleader.
When you’re enthusiastic about their successes, they correlate you to their celebratory good feelings. The next time something good happens to them, they’ll be excited to tell you all about it, and you’ll be excited to hear it. It’s a feedback loop of happiness!
The more often you’re excited for other peoples’ wins in life, the easier it is to genuinely appreciate the people in your life.
Conclusion
Being grateful for life makes you happier and more appreciative of life, no matter what your circumstances may be.
A few easy ways to begin expressing gratitude are to:
Walk
Donate
Journal
Mindful meditation
Celebrate other’s wins
Expressing gratitude will change everything about your life. You can either spend your life happy, or you can be miserable. It’s up to you!
