BUILDING GRATITUDE IN YOUR LIFE
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” ― A.A. Milne, “Winnie-the-Pooh”
Last week on the blog, I shared about how you can easily start a gratitude journaling practice. It’s a great way to get started with building more gratitude and joy in your life. You can read it HERE. To continue this focus on gratitude for the month of November, I wanted to share about ways that you can build gratitude in your life. It’s been a process for me! I have always dreamed of being this calm, confident person alive in her gratitude and faith. But trust me! That’s not who I am on a normal basis.
I can be very critical, discontent, and aware of what “feels” wrong or incomplete. Some of that can be helpful some of the time! However, it often comes in the way of enjoying my life. So, over the past few years, especially since 2020, I have worked to build more gratitude into my life. Finding ways to focus on that mindset, to stay aware of all the good things already here in my life. It gives me strength to face things when they are difficult and peace when life feels chaotic. It will probably have to be a journey that I continue on for my whole life.
WHY WE SHOULD PRACTICE GRATITUDE
“It’s up to us to choose contentment and thankfulness now — and to stop imagining that we have to have everything perfect before we’ll be happy.” — Joanna Gaines
Have you ever found yourself throwing a bit of a self-pity party? I know I have! There are times when I watch the beautiful, idyllic lives and vacations and homes on Instagram and my own life starts to feel dull or boring. Or perhaps I’ve spent too long focusing on all my problems at work, or difficulties and worries in my personal life. So, I start a downward spiral. This self-pity party can turn into grumpiness or anxiety, and it is never good.
While there are many tools to help us jump out of these downward spirals, I have found in my own life that gratitude is one of the best! When I remember why I am grateful, and I list out all the wonderful blessings in my life, the hardships get smaller. My discontentment with my life fades. I am able to reset my mindset and focus on the positive!
If this is not enough of a reason to focus on gratitude in your life, then I suggest you do some research on how gratitude can impact your health and mental health. The benefits are so worthwhile. Plus, gratitude is a call that has been placed on our lives as Christ followers! Throughout the Bible, God constantly reminds us to be thankful to share the reason we are grateful. It is especially this verse in Philippians 4:6-7, that sticks out to me.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When we are anxious and worried, God has called us to share those stressors with Him by prayer… WITH thanksgiving. Gratitude is what leads the way in our prayers, even prayers of anxiety. The gift we will receive in return is the peace of God, something that we might not even be able to understand.
STRATEGIES FOR ADDING GRATITUDE INTO YOUR LIFE
“Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness. It’s the spark that lights a fire of joy in your soul.” — Amy Collette
In case you didn’t know, I am a mom, a business owner, I work at a church, homeschool my kids and teach dance sometimes. So, I don’t have a lot of time to add extra projects into my life! For this reason, I focus on small changes that don’t take up a lot of time and are simple to add into my life. Try the ones that sound good to you! I hope that one or more of them can assist you in your gratitude journey.
- Daily gratitude journaling. I’ve talked about this before. It’s such a short practice that can be simple and helpful for anyone.
- Sending Thank You cards. I was not very good about sending Thank You cards when I was younger, it felt like such a big chore. However, now I love the opportunity to write a sweet note and share with anyone I am grateful for.
- Check what I’m watching or listening to. Sometimes if I am feeling overly stressed or discontent with my life, I will pause and check what media I am consuming. Have I been on social media for too long? Am I listening to a story or music that makes me feel sad?
- Create a list of good things. Try keeping a note on your phone or close by in an easy notebook. You can list out things you are grateful for, things that help you feel better, or activities that help you have a more positive mindset. Pull out this list whenever you need it!
- Encourage the people around you to be grateful too! I live with my husband and two kids, and between all of us, we can sometimes get grumpy or upset with the way things are going. When that happens, I will pause what we are doing and ask everyone what they can be grateful for right now. That small practice has helped us all so much!
RESOURCES
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the “Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn pulls more goodness into your reality.” — Jen Sincero
These are just a few of the resources that I have enjoyed using to help me build my gratitude practice! I hope you can try a few and that they work well for you.
- Any of the gratitude journals that are on our website! - I know I mentioned this last week… but I really do love this product! Check out all the beautiful NEW designs.
- My Last Blog Post - this is the post from last week. It walks you through all the steps you need to take to get started with your own Gratitude Journaling Practice.
- Gratitude Crafts for the Whole Family - I love this blog post from Mother’s Lounge! She has ten great activities that you could do with your whole family, just for yourself, or even gather some friends to do one of them! You can keep gratitude fun.
REFLECTION
“'Thank you’ is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. 'Thank you' expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding.” — Alice Walker
Gratitude is a way of life! Something that you can work on in bits and pieces. It is a wonderful habit that will be there whether you practice it with regularity or not. However, my hope is that this November (and maybe this blog post) you will feel inspired and encouraged to build gratitude into your life.
Questions for reflection:
To get the most out of these questions, grab a journal and write out your answers. Allow yourself to ponder and reflect!
- What role does gratitude play in your life right now?
- Has gratitude helped you in your life?
- How could you start your own gratitude practice in your life?
- What stood out to you from this blog post? And is there one practice that you want to add into your life??
- What are other ways you can practice gratitude in your life?
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. - Psalm 118:29
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High. - Psalm 7:17