The Benefits of Appreciation and Gratitude

By Patricia Young

Living in today’s world, it can be difficult to remain positive and connected to the present moment. Often times, between our busy schedules, our chase for external causes for our happiness, and the fact that we get bombarded with bad news and violence on TV or the movies every day,  it seems that we tend to become more negative.

A lot of times we focus on what we think it’s wrong, or what we’re missing in our lives, so we only celebrate and feel grateful when something big happens.  We have a tendency to forget that we need to appreciate and be thankful for the little things too.

Gratitude is essential! Realize that all you have right now, you could not have… Being grateful enables you to be in the moment. So, every day, focus on your blessings and think of all the things you can be grateful for:  your house (yes, you have a place to live! Some people don’t have one), your health, your family, your car, your job, your business, your friends, your pet, nature, even your challenges, because they make you evolve.

The more grateful you are, the more good things will come your way. Remember, we get what we focus our attention on…It’s your choice to focus on the negative or the positive.

Appreciating the beauty in little things, and being grateful for all the wonderful things you already have in your life, makes life easier and more pleasant, not only for you, but for the ones around you too.

When you are in that “thankful mode” your light is brighter, and you will attract more people and more situations that are on the same vibrational level. Gratefulness is that powerful, it can turn around the negative into positive, and it can transform our feelings of fear into love. Being thankful leads us to growth!

If you want to feel happier and healthier  (physically and emotionally), gratitude is a key quality that you have to cultivate on a daily basis.

Comments

  1. Michael Kawula says

    Remaining positive is so important to move ahead in any situation whether it be personal life or business. Though sometimes can be difficult being negative snowballs into more negativity so reflect daily or more often on all you have going RIGHT!

  2. Patricia says

    I try to apply appreciation every single day! And I agree, more comes to appreciate - especially in nature. At least that’s been my experience! great job! p

  3. Beth Blacker says

    I am constantly saying thank you for the smallest of gestures and trying to teach my kids to do the same thing. It isn’t easy…in our fast paced world, ever so distracted world, most people are not in the moment enough to realize they need to do it.

  4. Daveda says

    Very true!! Great post to remind us that it is so important to watch how we are thinking. Even when we know how important it is, it’s so easy to forget!

  5. Heather says

    If more people were grateful and appreciative of what they “DO” have the world would be so much better. I know that I’ve been meaning to start a gratitude journal just to list a few things each day that I’m thankful for. This was a reminder that I need to really do it.

  6. Melissa Michel says

    This is a great article! I just shared a similar post about this. We should never take things for granted, and need to slow ourselves down on occasion to just be grateful!

  7. Crystal Peterson says

    So true! We can often get caught up in things that go wrong in life instead of stopping to realize just how fortunate we are. Thanks for the reminder, great post!

  8. Heather says

    I’m always inspired by the attitude of gratitude I see in people who have less than I do. So what am *I* complaining about? :) Great article.

  9. Jackie Harder says

    Huge believer in gratitude. Whenever I feel ticked off or or overwhelmed, I’ll go outside and start naming all the things I see and hear and express gratitude for them. It doesn’t take long for all the wonderful things in my life to outweigh all the aggravating things.

  10. Marita Steffe says

    Wonderful reminder of what’s important in life. Thank you. I always try to remember to make my gratitude list, but sometimes I forget. If everybody would live by these principles we would have a better world.

  11. Sangita says

    Thank you for sharing Patricia! Such a great reminder and focusing on Gratitude does bring 10 times more back to you. I even thank my body systems-my heart, lungs,stomach,liver,kidney,joints etc…they do hard work without complaining. :)

  12. Tina Games says

    This is a lovely post, Patricia - and you’ve chosen a beautiful image!

    In my work with mothers, I often weave in the benefits of gratitude journaling so they can see the bigger picture of their life - and everything they have to be grateful for. It often overshadows the “not so good” moments - and gives us a stronger energy from which to work.

    Plus, being grateful activates the Law of Attraction - and that, in itself, ignites a beautiful “ripple effect” of energy going out and coming in. :-)

    ~ Tina

  13. Teena Evert says

    Great post Patricia - my favorite part was when you said, “Appreciating the beauty in little things, and being grateful for all the wonderful things you already have in your life, makes life easier and more pleasant, not only for you, but for the ones around you too.” Thank you!

  14. Cher Gunderson says

    So true that we CHOOSE how to process the events around us. Reframing benefits us in all situations we encounter in life.

    Cher Gunderson
    http://www.masteryouraccent.com

  15. Cheryl Gnad says

    Yes, I am grateful for many things and more so since I was ill and now in the recovery mode for these past 40 days. I am almost over it, but I am still dizzy and I realize how valuable my life and health and many other things are since I almost died for this illness! I am thankful for each day!

  16. Edmund S. Lee says

    I firmly believe in this line… ‘THE MORE GRATEFUL YOU ARE, THE MORE GOOD THINGS WILL COME YOUR WAY.’ It pays to have a grateful heart each and every single day.

  17. Christy says

    I am a firm believer in gratitude and attitude. I am personally trying to instill this with my own children even. You get what you give. Wonderful article!!!

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