The Transformative Power Of Gratitude

The act of giving thanks is a transformative one. When we live in gratitude, our energy vibration becomes elevated, and this positivity spreads outward like the ripples in water. If you’ve ever heard of paying it forward, this is the same idea! Gratitude changes lives – both our own and that of others.

Being appreciative and giving thanks to others, to the Universe, to the Earth for its sustenance, raises positive energies which will in turn come back to us.

Sometimes being grateful can feel like a chore, or something we need to pretend feeling. Every one of us experiences hardship and adversity. Life’s challenges sometimes get even the most grateful people down. The best way to flip that into something positive is to make a list of gratitude statements, in your mind, aloud, or in your journal.

Are you grateful for your friends, family, your health, the beauty of nature? Maybe you’re simply thankful you were able to get up this morning, when many other people were not.

Make this process one from the heart. Feel the positive energy. After a while, it will become an uplifting habit, and your body and mind will start to enjoy the positive rush of feelings. Let this routine be the first thing you do in the morning, and the last one you do at night before sleep.

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton

Your gratitude affirmations don’t have to take the form of a thankful prayer or meditation. Simply making a list of all the things you are grateful for, will bring the same wonderful results.

If you’re stuck, try using your senses. What are things you can feel, taste, or touch?

I am grateful for the warm embrace of my family.

I am thankful for the delicious taste of fresh fruit.

I love the soft fur of my cat.

You will probably find that you have so many things in your life for which you are grateful, while you thought there were only a few.

You may also discover that your attitude of gratitude will start to positively impact others. Did you ever notice it’s hard to be in a bad mood around someone who’s always in a good mood? This will you feel grateful, but you will want to share that feeling with others.

Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for ~ Zig Ziglar

And there is always something to hold onto in life. Even in the darkest times of your life, gratitude can serve as a natural anti-depressant! In the months of winter, it’s easy to fall into the rut of negative thought. If you’re waiting for the return of spring, take a walk outside today and notice things you haven’t seen in a while: birds chirping, people walking their dogs, the sound of wind in the trees.

As you do so, mentally start to think of things in your own life that inspire gratitude. Ask yourself how you can be grateful. It’s truly an exercise in the Higher Self, and one of our truest connections to the Divine.

Gratitude isn’t just a ‘once in a while’ thing, or something we do on the holidays, like Thanksgiving. It’s truly a way of life, and it will truly change your life if you allow it.