Why is Gratitude so Important?

“Count your blessings”. This is one particular piece of advice that we have often heard time to time. And when you think about the things you’re grateful for, that’s exactly what you’re doing. Gratitude is one of the simplest and yet most powerful practices you can ever do, to turn your whole life around magically. But why? Why is gratitude so important?

Gratitude means thankfulness. It means to acknowledge and appreciate every pleasure of our life. Gratitude is not just a word or not just an emotion, it’s an action for all of the good things that have happened to us. It makes us more prosperous by increasing our happiness in many folds. In fact, whatever it is that you want to be, do, or have, gratitude is the way to receive it.

List of things to be grateful for:

Look closely at your life, you have received a lot, and are continuing to receive so much every day. There is so much to give thanks for!

Be grateful to the Universe, God, goodness, life, or any other concept you are drawn to. The first step of gratitude is recognizing all those individuals who have made a difference in our lives like our parents, teachers, friends, companions, etc. Can you imagine your life without them?

Be grateful for the food you eat, the air you breathe, and the water you drink: without any of which, you wouldn’t be alive. For the trees, animals, oceans, blue skies, the weather, the stars, the moon, and our beautiful earth.

If you don’t have anything to thank, you can still be thankful for your breathing. You are living now. There is no assurance that you will be given another moment to live. Then why not thank for this moment which is a new gift over and over again? Moment by moment, we should be thankful for this gift.

The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests, flowered fields, and sandy beaches. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of its people to appreciate and enjoy it.

Michael Josephson

Some common gratitude questions:

• What made you smile today?
• Who is your one constant reason of happiness?
• What’s your favorite thing about your life?
• How important are you to your friends and family?
• What lesson did you learn from your most difficult days?
• What’s the best thing about you?

Also read: 33 Self-Reflective questions you should ask yourself today.

How can gratitude impact your life?

Gratitude is a sign of optimism and the virtue of morality. When one reflects on the positive aspects of their lives, they experience an improved mood and an increase in their mental well-being. They are stress-free and full of positive vibes.

Whenever someone wishes you on your birthday or any other such joyful occasion, you say thank you. Do you know why? Because you are happy on that day. You are grateful for the wishes you receive from your loved ones.

When we are grateful for the things we have, no matter how small they may be, we see those things instantly increase. On the other hand, when we’re not counting our blessings, we can fall into the trap of unintentionally counting negative things.

Practicing gratitude! Not as easy as it seems

Have you ever thought, what is the most important thing that you want in your life? Different people would have different answers to this question; some will say their families, others will say their career, some will say more money, others will say happiness, and so on.

Whatever your definition of life is, you can’t deny the fact that there is always a craving for more within us. That desire for more blinds us to what we already have. We always think of the things which we don’t have but we are never concerned about the things which we have right now. Our major problem is that we are never satisfied. And it seems such is the programming of a human mind. We are taking things in our life for granted. And when we take things for granted, we are unintentionally taking them from ourselves.

The more one has, the easier it is for them to take things for granted.

You need to understand that as long as you are in the run for more, you are not going to settle. If you are not grateful for the things you own right now, then what is the probability that you will be happy with the things which you are hoping to receive in the future?

How to practice gratitude everyday?

To be grateful, first of all, we need to stop complaining. When complaints arise, gratitude disappears. We then start finding faults everywhere and in everything. Remember, a complaint is always stronger than a compliment. Do several good things for others, they forget easily. All that they remember is your mistakes.

Have you ever noticed that our happiness doesn’t last long but negative emotions like anger, frustration, anxiety, depression, or fear always occupy our minds? This is because our mind is naturally biased towards negativity more. Our brains are good at magnifying and amplifying the negatives instead of the positives. We start counting negative things instead of our blessings. And with every negative thing that we count, we cancel out the blessings that were on their way.

To avoid this, one needs to adopt a positive mindset. It’s always better to count your blessings than to count your obstacles. We must remember that obstacles are not under our control, but how we perceive them are completely dependent on us.

Related post: How to be a more grateful person?

Make a gratitude journal

To count your blessings, the best recommended method is to make a gratitude journal. It involves writing all your blessings in a specific notebook or page. You may also write it on your phones or laptops.

When we write our blessings, then our concentration focuses on the positive things in our lives. This shift of focus creates a positive impact on our minds. This is the reason why it is recommended by many spiritual gurus and philosophers.

Show frequent appreciation to your people. (Here’s why)

Gift them your words of genuine appreciation. In this way, both you and they can be happy.

Should we be grateful for everything?

Certainly not! We cannot be grateful for war, violence, hatred, exploitation, loss of a loved one, hunger, fatal diseases, pandemics like COVID19, etc. Neither am I in favor of “Pollyanna Attitude.”

Being grateful means that even if we are confronted with something terrible, we can rise to this occasion and respond to the opportunities that are positively given to us. It does not in any way mean losing awareness and being impractical.

Assume that someone is suffering from a fatal disease like Cancer. In this case, you can not just thank that disease, instead of working on ways for its treatment. We know very well that suffering from Cancer is not a blessing. But, instead of cursing yourself again and again by asking ” Why me”?, you can make yourself stronger by saying, ” Come on! try me”.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Life is a gift. You haven’t earned it or brought it about in any way. If you are not able to accept this truth, you are destined to live an unfulfilled life. To accept the gift of life, one must be emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually be present. Gratitude does exactly that by doing many miracles. As you make gratitude a way of life, you will wake up each morning so excited to be alive. You will find yourself completely in love with your life. Everything will seem effortless. You will feel as light as a feather and happier than you’ve ever felt before.

You may think it could be difficult for you to find things you’re grateful for; but the more you think about it, the more you will realize how much you have to be grateful for.

Good luck!