What’s the one thing you can do to completely transform the way you experience life?
Start a gratitude practice.
For some of us, this can be a real challenge. How can I feel grateful when I’ve just lost my job? How can I feel grateful for my partner walking out of our relationship? How can I feel grateful when I’ve just received a devastating diagnosis? How can I feel grateful when a friend has betrayed my trust?
How can I feel grateful with all the negative stuff that’s going on in my life?
By also looking for the wonderful things that you have in your life right now.
The practice of gratitude isn’t about being grateful for the devastating events in our lives; it’s about finding things to be grateful for whilst we are going through those difficult times.
It’s very easy to find things to be grateful for whilst life is going well. But it takes purposeful action to look for the good when all we think that surrounds us is aweful.
You’ve probably already noticed how very easy it is to get caught in a downward spiral when in a low place to begin with. It’s important to break the cycle as soon as we become aware of it. How? By deciding to look for something to be grateful for – on purpose!
When I was going through my marriage breakdown and was at the lowest point that I thought any human being could get to, I started a gratitude journal. Every night before getting into my bed, I would write down 5 things I was grateful for that day. Sometimes, these gratitude statements would come easily. “I’m grateful for my friend coming to see me and praying with me today.” At other times it was a real struggle. I would write something like “I’m grateful that I saw the sun rise this morning.” or “I’m grateful that my cat came and snuggled with me.”
Oh, and there were times that I was so miserable that tears would be streaming down my face whilst I was writing my statements of gratitude.
But I made myself do it.
I did it because I didn’t want to be swamped with despair. I didn’t want to be in that place. And deep down I knew that if I focussed only on the awful things that were going on in my life, then my life would be awful. There was good in my life. I just had to recognise and acknowledge it. And lo and behold, over time, that despair began lifting. The more I focussed on the good in my life over the bad, the better my life got. Amazing!
Starting a gratitude practice is the one thing that you can do, right now, to completely transform the way you see and experience your life. The thing is, practicing gratitude is a decision you have to make. It’s a decision you have to make day by day, minute by minute. It can be challenging, but the reward is priceless.
