Midweek Mindfulness: The power of practicing gratitude

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” -Melody Beattie

Practicing gratitude instantly makes our lives better without changing a single circumstance. So often we focus on what we don’t have. What we’re working towards. But we forget to appreciate ourselves and the process along the way. We don’t feel like we’ve reached our final goal, so we don’t see anything to celebrate.

Not true.

Taking the time to appreciate how far we’ve come makes the path to reaching our goals feel that much more fulfilling. Appreciating our current surroundings, circumstances, belongings, relationships, etc., helps us to recognize the abundance in our lives right this minute. It brings us into the present moment instead of fantasizing about “some day.” It also allows us to be happy right now instead of having to wait for some desired outcome that we may or may not achieve in the future.

A gratitude journal can be a useful tool. First thing in the morning and again before you go to bed, list a couple of things you’re grateful for. Make it a daily practice. Refer to your gratitude journal or mentally make a list when you’re feeling down or when you notice yourself dwelling on things you don’t have. This small shift of focusing on what you do have instead of what you don’t have is one the greatest changes you can make to increase happiness and fulfillment in your life.