Be Grateful
“I never lived a full life until I lived a life full of gratitude.”
Drew Jackson
A full life is one where you are getting everything you can from the efforts you are putting in toward accomplishing your goals in life. A full life is a good life. It is a fulfilled life. A full life doesn’t necessarily mean you have achieved all of your goals and are the richest person in the world. When you have a full life you can go to sleep every night feeling good about the life that you are leading. You can also wake up every morning ready to continue the beautiful life you’ve been given. A proven way to go to sleep and wake up feeling good is to live a life full of gratitude.
The simple definition of gratitude is operating in the state of being grateful. When you are grateful for something you are appreciative for whatever that something is. It is an internal action that you must own in order to get the true benefit from it. By being grateful you tap into an emotional power that has an unlimited source of energy. That is because there are an unlimited number of things you can be grateful for at any given time of the day. The unlimited power comes from the feelings associated with being grateful.
The Power of Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is powerful because it is impossible not to have good feelings when you are truly appreciating something in your life. Every moment you spend in gratitude is a guaranteed positive moment. It is guaranteed because to truly be grateful for something you have to appreciate it and appreciation is a positive emotion. At the moment you practice gratitude you are in control of your thoughts and subsequently fill your mind with positive thoughts. The summations of those thoughts build and build over time. There is no limit to how high the positive thoughts can build. Once you begin to deliberately practice gratitude you will start to see the effects of that build over time.
When someone practices gratitude consistently they began to see life in a different lens. They are more aware because they can appreciate so many things that others may take for granted. They can appreciate the beauty of nature regardless of the weather conditions. They can appreciate the wins along with the failures because each one is an experience that adds value to their life. They can appreciate a hot cup of coffee on a Monday morning as they start their day at work. They can appreciate where they are in their journey even if it isn’t where they ultimately want to be, all while continuing to work on the next destination.
Habits are Key to Success
Practicing gratitude is a discipline. When you practice that discipline over time it will become a habit. As you know habit is the foundation to what makes us great or takes us down. The habits of highly successful people are documented in many books and periodicals. All it takes is one quick google search and you’ll see many successful people discussing their habit of practicing gratitude. For example Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, John Paul DeJoria, and Tim Ferriss all commonly speak to their habit of practicing gratitude.
Do not confuse the external act of saying thank you as the source of power for gratitude. It is a wonderful habit to say thank you to others for what they have done for you. That person should always enjoy being acknowledged with appreciation. However since you aren’t that person you can’t guarantee they will always get the true benefit. Unfortunately we can’t control someone else’s feelings, only that person can do that. Therefore if you only focus on practicing gratitude on others you will not get the full results that come with being grateful.
A Best Practice
One of the most effective ways to practice gratitude is to actually write down the things you are grateful for on a piece of paper. In the book “The Magic” by Rhonda Byrne she details out a process for writing them down daily. For 28 days she prescribes writing 10 things you are grateful for in order to form the habit of you practicing gratitude. She does a wonderful job of giving you suggested topics to select something to be grateful for such as health & beauty, work & success, money, relationships, passions, etc. She also outlines how to write the statement to maximize its impact. She directs you to write what you are grateful for and why. In the why portion you are to include an emotion to help tap into the emotional energy of gratitude.
Here are some examples….
1. Today I am grateful for meditation. I can clearly see the positive impact it has had on my life.
2. Today I am grateful for my neighbors. I had a great conversation with xxx yesterday.
3. Today I am grateful for the safety program for airplanes. I am happy I safely made it to LA and back.
4. Today I am grateful for my health. I feel strong and vibrant.
5. Today I am grateful for the sensation of touch. I love the way my spouse feels.
I suggest purchasing a journal to do this exercise in daily. If 10 things seem a little daunting, cut it down to 5 or 3. Even if you can’t write them down make the commitment to say them to yourself. Take a moment to practice gratitude by thinking of at least 3 things you are grateful for and why.
By consistently practicing gratitude you fill your life with positive thoughts every day. You are more aware of everything in your life because you appreciate so much and don’t take things for granted. Each day adds to the next day and overtime your life becomes more and more filled. You can maintain that fullness by continuing to practice gratitude. The potential is unlimited. If you aren’t practicing gratitude intentionally and consistently then you aren’t truly living a full life.
Remember to Be Grateful and have a great week,
Drew
The simple definition of gratitude is operating in the state of being grateful. When you are grateful for something you are appreciative for whatever that something is. It is an internal action that you must own in order to get the true benefit from it. By being grateful you tap into an emotional power that has an unlimited source of energy. That is because there are an unlimited number of things you can be grateful for at any given time of the day. The unlimited power comes from the feelings associated with being grateful.
The Power of Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is powerful because it is impossible not to have good feelings when you are truly appreciating something in your life. Every moment you spend in gratitude is a guaranteed positive moment. It is guaranteed because to truly be grateful for something you have to appreciate it and appreciation is a positive emotion. At the moment you practice gratitude you are in control of your thoughts and subsequently fill your mind with positive thoughts. The summations of those thoughts build and build over time. There is no limit to how high the positive thoughts can build. Once you begin to deliberately practice gratitude you will start to see the effects of that build over time.
When someone practices gratitude consistently they began to see life in a different lens. They are more aware because they can appreciate so many things that others may take for granted. They can appreciate the beauty of nature regardless of the weather conditions. They can appreciate the wins along with the failures because each one is an experience that adds value to their life. They can appreciate a hot cup of coffee on a Monday morning as they start their day at work. They can appreciate where they are in their journey even if it isn’t where they ultimately want to be, all while continuing to work on the next destination.
Habits are Key to Success
Practicing gratitude is a discipline. When you practice that discipline over time it will become a habit. As you know habit is the foundation to what makes us great or takes us down. The habits of highly successful people are documented in many books and periodicals. All it takes is one quick google search and you’ll see many successful people discussing their habit of practicing gratitude. For example Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, John Paul DeJoria, and Tim Ferriss all commonly speak to their habit of practicing gratitude.
Do not confuse the external act of saying thank you as the source of power for gratitude. It is a wonderful habit to say thank you to others for what they have done for you. That person should always enjoy being acknowledged with appreciation. However since you aren’t that person you can’t guarantee they will always get the true benefit. Unfortunately we can’t control someone else’s feelings, only that person can do that. Therefore if you only focus on practicing gratitude on others you will not get the full results that come with being grateful.
A Best Practice
One of the most effective ways to practice gratitude is to actually write down the things you are grateful for on a piece of paper. In the book “The Magic” by Rhonda Byrne she details out a process for writing them down daily. For 28 days she prescribes writing 10 things you are grateful for in order to form the habit of you practicing gratitude. She does a wonderful job of giving you suggested topics to select something to be grateful for such as health & beauty, work & success, money, relationships, passions, etc. She also outlines how to write the statement to maximize its impact. She directs you to write what you are grateful for and why. In the why portion you are to include an emotion to help tap into the emotional energy of gratitude.
Here are some examples….
1. Today I am grateful for meditation. I can clearly see the positive impact it has had on my life.
2. Today I am grateful for my neighbors. I had a great conversation with xxx yesterday.
3. Today I am grateful for the safety program for airplanes. I am happy I safely made it to LA and back.
4. Today I am grateful for my health. I feel strong and vibrant.
5. Today I am grateful for the sensation of touch. I love the way my spouse feels.
I suggest purchasing a journal to do this exercise in daily. If 10 things seem a little daunting, cut it down to 5 or 3. Even if you can’t write them down make the commitment to say them to yourself. Take a moment to practice gratitude by thinking of at least 3 things you are grateful for and why.
By consistently practicing gratitude you fill your life with positive thoughts every day. You are more aware of everything in your life because you appreciate so much and don’t take things for granted. Each day adds to the next day and overtime your life becomes more and more filled. You can maintain that fullness by continuing to practice gratitude. The potential is unlimited. If you aren’t practicing gratitude intentionally and consistently then you aren’t truly living a full life.
Remember to Be Grateful and have a great week,
Drew
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