Hacking Gratitude The single greatest thing you can do to change your life today would be to start being grateful for what you have right now.
Oprah People are taught from an early age to give thanks for a gift,
Compliment,
Or nice gesture.
It's after an action,
You receive and then give thanks.
Your mind automatically expresses your gratitude through your mouth,
Voice,
And face without any effort,
Saying thank you.
Meaning that you feel appreciated.
It's already a habit for most people.
But what if you could reverse the process?
What if you could give thanks and then receive?
Your brain has a predictable reaction to true or false events.
What if you could feel gratitude before the event?
You can.
Your mind can see the wins,
Appreciation,
Even if there is no real win when you feel grateful.
In the same way your body can experience stress from thoughts alone,
Your body can feel the gratitude when you think about the people,
Things,
And events that evoke gratitude in you.
In other words,
Thoughts alone can cause your mind,
Body,
And spirit to receive the benefits of gratitude.
People with a consistent practice of daily gratitude have reported a feeling of well-being,
Lightheartedness,
Heightened creativity,
Lowered blood pressure,
Reduced blood sugar,
Lower levels of stress,
And decreased moodiness.
The practice of gratitude is a way for you to remember the changes you want in your life,
Reinforce your small wins,
And improve the overall quality of your life.
Your life will then respond to you,
Your thoughts,
And your feelings.
What do you have to lose?
When I began to practice gratitude,
I often forgot to do it.
It happens like any change.
I did it for two or three days,
And then I forgot.
I knew the benefits of regular gratitude,
So I made a deal with myself.
Every time I saw birds,
I would find things to be grateful for.
When I saw a few birds,
I expressed gratitude for simple things,
Such as my job,
Car,
Children,
And mother.
Then I began to see flocks of birds,
And that brought me immense joy,
Even before I listed the reasons for being grateful.
With time,
I began to notice that while I was driving,
Birds would just miss being hit by my car whenever I had a new idea.
Birds made nests around my home,
Pecked on my bedroom windows,
Paused at my screened porch,
And even sang loudly from the tree outside my office window during conference calls.
I took these events as a sign that what I was thinking,
Feeling,
Or contemplating would be successful.
And I said thank you.
I still use birds to kick in gear any new intention,
Or any intention that's taking longer to manifest than I'd like.
Some days,
I switch to butterflies.
In doing this,
I create an anchor,
A way to bring myself to gratitude effortlessly.
You can choose your own anchor.
Practicing gratitude will improve your mood and your relationship with everything.
Your outlook on life will be more positive.
Most of all,
When you start practicing gratitude,
Even for the small actions,
Your life will progress better.
Don't take my word for it.
Start your own practice and see what happens.
I look forward to hearing from you about the life improvements you experience from your gratitude practice.
Practice gratitude for 10 minutes.
When you first wake up in the morning,
Immediately find five things to be grateful for.
Do this before you look at your clock,
Phone,
Or even go to the bathroom.
You can start with being grateful for your bed,
Pillows,
Bedroom,
And home.
If you don't like your home,
Be grateful for the roof,
Even if it's leaking.
When you do,
You will start to see your home as a palace.
If you don't like your bed,
Think of the homeless people in the Chicago winter,
And you will start to see your bed like the heavenly beds in five-star hotels.
Be grateful for your children,
Partner,
And family members,
Even if you have conflicts with them.
Once your practice becomes more consistent,
You'll find it easier to be grateful for anyone,
Regardless of any disagreement you may have with them.
When you drive to work,
Find 10 things you appreciate about your job.
If you dislike your job,
Find 20 things you appreciate.
Start with your paycheck.
If you think you don't make enough money,
Appreciate your paycheck anyway,
Because it still pays your rent or mortgage,
Car payment,
Etc.
Appreciate your boss for hiring you,
Even if that boss is the biggest jerk in the universe as far as you're concerned.
You can use birds,
Butterflies,
Ladybugs,
Or anything else as a sign to remind yourself to practice gratitude.
At the end of the day while you lay in bed,
Appreciate five people,
Things,
Or events from your day.
If you had a bad day,
Still stick to five things to appreciate,
And don't fall asleep until you do.
As you practice gratitude daily,
You'll notice that you have more good days,
And your experience of your job is better.
Your relationships become more harmonious.
Your creativity becomes heightened.
You have great ideas,
And your intuition becomes your compass for everything,
Because you're now able to access it.
You can create a great life by practicing gratitude for just a few minutes a day.
Right now,
Make a list of 20 things to be grateful for.
Happiness cannot be traveled to,
Owned,
Earned,
Worn,
Or consumed.
Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love,
Grace,
And gratitude.
Dennis Waitley
