How do we find contentment in a culture that’s always searching for the next best thing? It’s pretty simple: Gratitude
I’m not talking about being thankful in an abstract way; I’m talking about developing an actual daily gratitude practice.
prac.tice /praktes/
noun: practice
- The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method as opposed to theories about such application or use.
- Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it.
When we commit to a practice like yoga, self care, or in this case, gratitude, it requires us to be disciplined in the sense that we need to be consistent in it’s application; it needs to be non-negotiable. You wouldn’t skip brushing your teeth in the morning, right? So when we decide to take something on as a practice, whether that be personal hygiene or gratitude, it requires us to be steadfast and dedicated.
Acknowledging the good that already exist in your life is the first step to a foundation of abundance.
The truth is, if you are living with the illusion that you are constantly lacking, i.e.: lack of money, lack of recognition, lack of love—then insufficiency is what will continue to show up in your life.
I know it can be difficult to feel positive and grateful all the time, but what you focus on expands. If you can start acknowledging and being grateful for what you already have, it allows more of that to be drawn to you.
The moments when we are experiencing a challenge and feel the least thankful, is exactly when we need more than ever gratitude’s most valuable offering: Perspective.
Perspective
Consider this…
Perspective #1: You wake up thinking something along these lines, “I’m tired, I feel bloated, I don’t have enough money, I don’t want to go to work, I don’t have enough, I am not enough, etc.”—fill in the blank with your own “woe is me” worries.
Or…..
Try Perspective #2: You woke up this morning and you are reading this article with your eyeballs, likely on your iphone, so right there are 3 things you should be extremely grateful for. 1. You’re not dead. 2. You can see with your healthy eyes. 3. You have access to technology, and are financially secure enough to afford a smartphone or computer. Perspective.
The great scholar Eckhart Tolle teaches us that both abundance and scarcity are inner states that manifest as your reality.
The things in life that you feel are being withheld from you are things you already have within you, but unless you allow them to flow out, you won’t know that you have them (love, appreciation, kindness, etc).
Outflow determines inflow. If you can go through the day staying conscious of what you’re grateful for, it can change the lens in which you see the world.
Here Are 3 Simple Ways You Can Practice Gratitude Today
1. Keep A Gratitude Journal
Take 5-10 minutes each day to sit down and write 5 things you are grateful for. When we start looking for and paying attention to the things in our lives that bring us joy and fulfillment, our whole frame of mind shifts. It can be the smallest minute detail like a smile from a stranger, or something larger than life, like the love you share with your significant other, or the fact that you woke up living and breathing. Whatever it is, write it down.
2. Become Aware of the Fullness in Life All Around You
If it’s challenging for you at first to see your life as abundant, start with the acknowledgement of abundance that is the world around you. The feeling of the sun soaking into your skin. The beauty in the flowers and trees that grow in nature. The miraculous occurance of the sunrise and sunset each morning and night. A stranger holding the door for you. The sweetness of biting into a fresh piece of fruit. Each and every one of these things matter.
3. Whatever You Think is Being Withheld from you – Give More of That Out
What is it that you are missing? Appreciation? Loving care? Respect? Fill in the blank. Whatever it is that you feel is lacking from your life, whatever story you are living out about not having enough: give more of that out.
Here’s an example: You feel under-appreciated for all the work you do around the home, or the hard work it takes to raise children. Show your significant other ways that you appreciate what they do. If someone feels appreciated and acknowledged, they will reciprocate that back to you. It’s the law of the universe.
The Only Prayer You Need
Eckhart says: If the only prayer you ever say in life is thank you, that will be enough.
So get out there, show some gratitude, and start breeding joy into your own life.
Write it down on paper or in your phone or on your instagram – whatever you need to do to physically put it out there, do it. Start noticing that all around you there is life, there is beauty, there is the miracle of your body and your breath, and that in it of itself is enough to fill an entire novel worth of gratitude. Start giving so you can start receiving; what you put out comes back to you.
And that is the power of gratitude.
