It’s been said that gratitude is the world’s most powerful drug. But, what is gratitude exactly?
Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast defines it as “the feeling of appreciation that comes when you recognize that something is valuable to you, which has nothing to do with its monetary worth.”
If you think about it, most people associate gratitude with merely saying ‘thank you.’ But, it actually extends beyond just giving your thanks. Instead, it’s about developing more trust in life and receiving every moment as a gift. As Jay Shetty says, you don’t need to label the situation as good or bad. You don’t need to judge the moment because as soon as you label something as bad, your mind starts to believe it. Instead, it’s better to be grateful for everything that happens in your life as they’re happening for you to become the best version of yourself.
When you start receiving every moment in life as a gift, you release yourself from a poverty mentality. This mentality keeps you focused on your lack of, like, how much work you have, the things you don’t have, your partner’s problems, the people you don’t like, or how unfair life is.
And as Robin Sharma says, “What you focus on grows.”
So, if you continually focus on your lack, problems, and negative feelings, you’ll attract more of those things into your life. Likewise, suppose you constantly feel appreciative of the things you do have in your life, like how lucky you are to have a job, have a roof over your head, have meaningful and fulfilling relationships, and be alive and healthy. In that case, you’ll naturally attract more abundance and more things to be grateful for.
Here are six ways you can start cultivating more gratitude in your life:
1. Journaling
Gratitude journaling has many benefits, including helping you sleep better, promoting happiness, increasing alertness, lowering anxiety, and reducing intrusive thoughts. When you start your day with gratitude journaling, you begin the day on a positive note which will have a ripple effect throughout the rest of your…
