Gratitude

If you look online or in any book store there are literally thousands of books about gratitude and gratitude journals, but what is all the fuss about, and why do so many people think it is key to happiness?

Quite simply, it’s the quality of being thankful. Of noticing what there is in your life that you are thankful for. Spending some time each day deliberately noticing the good things that happen, that you have or that you achieve can have an incredible impact upon how you feel about your life. Gratitude journals are designed for people to record these things either once or twice a day, making gratitude a habit rather than a chore, and writing it makes it more real rather than abstract concepts living in your mind.

But why is this so important?

It changes your focus. It’s easy to focus on the negative things in life, and what we focus on is what we move towards. When we live in a negative state, we see more of that. But it’s also easy to see things in a positive light, even when not everything is brilliant. If you’re ever met a truly glass-half full person, you will know that they look for the silver lining in every situation, and don’t dwell on anything that isn’t positive. This is the shift in focus that gratitude can bring, a new way of seeing things, looking for the good.

It improves the quality of your life. Studies have uniquely linked gratitude with satisfaction of life and it’s no secret that people who are grateful for things are far more satisfied with their lives. There’s a stability that exists when you can appreciate the importance of things in your life, no matter what shape, size or form they might take on.

Being grateful makes you feel happier. Studies have confirmed that having gratitude does in fact make you feel happier. One such study asked people to write about things that didn’t make them happy, one about things they were grateful for and one just the facts about events that happened over a few weeks. The group that was instructed to write about things that they were grateful for were far happier and optimistic about their lives than the group that had focused on things that had occurred in a negative light. When we’re grateful for things, it’s a natural occurrence to be happier about life. You realize the things you have rather than the things you don’t.

It helps you to reach for your goals. When you’re so focused on things that are wrong with your life, how can you possibly keep working towards goals and dreams? You can’t. What would be the point, if you are of the mindset that nothing good every happens.

You can create a habit of gratitude very simply by writing down 3 things you are grateful for every morning or evening or both. Even if it’s just that you are still alive, it’s important to notice this. You don’t need a fancy book, anything would do, or there are lots of apps for this too. Try it – it might just change your life?