You probably are familiar with the concept of gratitude, but are you actually practicing it daily?

Cultivating gratitude has been something I have been consciously practicing on a daily basis this year and I can tell you from my personal experience that the benefits of this simple routine are enormous!

For starters, being grateful makes you feel better instantly. It makes you appreciate what you already have and it takes the focus away from lack and complaining. It is one of the easiest things we can do that can shift our mindset from a place of lack towards a place of abundance. And when we are in a place of abundance, not only do we appreciate what is surrounding us, but we actually attract more of it.

Practicing gratitude on a daily basis can help change the way you think, and can positively impact your emotions. Gratitude can also help you navigate your relationships better, and even make you more aware of which relationships uplift you, and which ones are toxic, and therefore may not serve you any longer.

Why am I writing about gratitude?

Well, for starters, it is Thanksgiving, so it is a great day to start this practice if you haven’t already. 🙂

But also, because being grateful for what you have, will also make you a healthier person. Yes, I focus on nutrition on my blog here, but in many of my workshops I go beyond nutrition. Everything we consume matters. And just as the food we consume impacts our health, so do the thoughts we consume too. Because unfortunately many of us do consume junk thoughts without even realizing it.

And so, with this blog post today I invite you to observe your own thoughts and emotions for a day and to try and do so without judgment. It can be a difficult task, but it can give you some eye-opening insights. Notice if you complain a lot, if you judge others, and especially yourself on a regular basis, if you harbor any negative emotions towards others, such as anger, envy or frustration. Maybe write these insights down and analyze them.

Then start introducing these two simple steps into your daily routine:

1.       When you wake up in the morning, don’t hurry to get on with your day but stay put for a while. Breathe in and out and think of three things you are truly grateful for. This will set up the tone of the day in a positive way and will improve your mood instantly. I have discovered a book, called The Book of Awakening, and love reading each chapter in the morning or evening. It gives me so much inspiration to look within and each chapter hits home every time. I then briefly meditate on the topic and go on about my day.

2.       In the evenings, I like to either talk about or write down three things that I found went well today. We so often tend to talk about the opposite in the evenings – of what went wrong, about the horrible traffic, or that rude colleague etc. But not only will your evening will be more relaxing and pleasant, but you will actually bond more with your partner and create more appreciation for yourself, if you decide to focus on the positives of the day. Even if those things are small – such as a stranger who smiled at you and let you go first at the counter in the shop, or that you found a parking spot immediately, or the compliment your colleague made to you. You get the point. 😉

And finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to you, for reading my blog! It means a lot, so thank you!