The Power Of Gratitude


“You were given life; it is your duty (and also your entitlement as a human being) to find something beautiful within life, no matter how slight.”—Elizabeth Gilbert. Ferris Bueller also said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Gratitude is an immensely powerful force that we can use to expand our happiness, create loving relationships, and even improve our health.

So lets do a quick exercise: Place your awareness in the center of your chest, around your heart, and notice for a moment what you’re experiencing when you’re feeling grateful. Do you feel more open or closed? Open. Do you feel more contracted or expanded? Expanded. Do you feel more agitated or peaceful? Peaceful.

Then why should we be more grateful?

Appreciate what you have right now: The happiest people are those who are contented with what they currently have, not with what they lack.To be grateful in your current state, it is helpful to remember the hard times that you once experienced. When you remember how difficult life used to be and how far you have come, you set up an explicit contrast in your mind, and this contrast is fertile ground for gratefulness.


Helping others help you: For many people, the key to having more gratitude is to give back to others in their local community. Not only will it make you more grateful for the things that you may take for granted, but studies have shown that volunteering for the purpose of helping others increases our own well-being, and thus our ability to have more gratitude. There really is nothing more rewarding in this world than helping other people improve their lives. This activity doesn’t only make you feel great about yourself – it also makes you value what you have in your life. Go on and sponsor a child’s education. Give your old clothes and books to a charitable institution. Donate your time and offer to teach children for free once a week. Hold feeding programs with non-profit organizations.

Express yourself: Sometimes it’s not enough to simply keep your gratitude to yourself. You can increase your feelings of gratitude by expressing that same gratitude to the people you care about. Show some love.


Replace complaints with gratitude: When you find yourself focusing on what you believe you’re lacking—I wish my car were nicer, my house were bigger, I had more money—replace it with thoughts of what you are thankful for.

What are you grateful for today?
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