Gratitude

Everything we do, say and feel is coming from how we are feeling at that moment.  If we take the time to ponder what we are grateful for, our whole attitudes can change.  Our hearts become full of love and hope and we can’t help but want to share how we feel with others.  So I decided to focus on everything I’m grateful for so I would feel more loving and kind.  Here’s an outline of what I do everyday:

    

   I spend at least 5 minutes daily focusing on gratitude.  What am I grateful for?  It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, I focus on it.  I meditate in a quiet peaceful calm area where no one is bothering me.  I always find something I’m grateful for.  It could be the food I found in the cupboards to create a wonderful dinner for my family or the neighbor that showed up at the door with a plate of cookies.  A letter received in the mail from a dear friend, the weather I’m enjoying that day or the flowers blooming in my garden.  There are so many things to be grateful for! It helps me to take the time to remember them and FEEL grateful for them.  ‘Feeling’ is the keyword here.

   

   I journal it!  Remembering what I’m  grateful for is key to feeling gratitude.  I have a little notebook that I call my Gratitude Journal.  Every night I write down 10 things I am grateful for.  Sometimes I write down something I wrote down a week earlier.  I just remember that I am really grateful for everything and sometimes I need to mention them again. Also, when I get busy and don’t have time to write in my journal, I don’t let myself worry about it.  Things happen and I return to it as soon as I can.  It’s ok!  If I can’t write it down right away in my journal, I make myself a note to do it later.  I keep a small notebook in my purse and always have a memo pad on my desk.  You’ll be surprised how every day there is something new to be grateful for.

   

   A gratitude rock really does work.  I have a small rock that that fits well in the palm of my hand.  I hold it near my heart, close my eyes and feel grateful for what I have, what I need or what I desire in my life.  Doing this daily helps me realize how grateful I am for what I have, need and want.  It’s a tangible thing I can hold to remind me.

  

   When I go to bed each night, I hold the rock near my heart as I drift off to sleep thinking about the things that make me happy.  Being grateful for them brings me more things and experiences to be grateful for.

  

   Gratitude is an incredible feeling that bring about miracles in my life.  Thinking about it daily not only reminds me to be more grateful but it brings about more life experiences to be grateful for.  Is there ever really enough gratitude in the world today?  When I am happier, it makes others wonder why I am so happy and then they want to know my secret!