How to Create a Gratitude Practice
Episode #4 If She Can, You Can podcast is about MY FAVORITE topic... Gratitude! Please grab a piece of paper and a pen, you'll want to write some of this down. Enjoy and please let me know what you think! Be sure to subscribe and leave me a 5 star review!
In this episode you will learn all about the benefits of gratitude, the most common types of gratitude, and how to practice gratitude. It's very interesting that something so small could have such a profound effect on your life and well-being! Just some small practices can increase your happiness by up to 25%!
Gratitude is simply showing and feeling appreciation for the good things in your life, big and small. Practicing gratitude means that instead of only showing this appreciation after something happens, you decide to feel the appreciation even before It happens. A gratitude practice can have many benefits-
You will start to notice more of the great things in your life and pay less attention to the things that aren’t so great
You will strengthen your relationships
You will have more enjoyment in the day in all things (career, family, marriage, health, etc)
You will feel abundant in all things
You will heal from pain in your past
You grow and contribute more, which leads to more fulfillment
A will create a deeper connection to your source (God)
You will have a greater impact on others.
There are 3 common types of gratitude that I love to talk about and frequently use to explain and teach gratitude practice. The first is what I like to call " Intellectual Gratitude". Intellectual gratitude is really quite simple. What are you grateful for? Make a list, write what you are grateful for in a journal, or list things in your prayers. Intellectual gratitude is taking the time to think and take count of your many blessings. The next type of gratitude is "felt gratitude." This is when you take intellectual gratitude to the next level and not only list what you are grateful for, but you feel the feelings associated with those things. Where you answer why you are grateful for those things and how It makes you feel. The last type of gratitude is what I like to call, "gratitude in action." This is where you use what you are grateful for and give It to others. Using your blessings to bless others. Looking at where you are abundant in life and give that to other people in some way.
Practicing gratitude is so powerful, yet so simple. If you want to start a gratitude practice simply start by writing down a few things everyday that you are grateful for. But here's the trick... make sure there is at least one NEW thing everyday. Adding one new thing to your gratitude list every day keeps your eyes wide open in gratitude and helps you constantly searching for positivity in your life. It's quite powerful and works very well!
As you become more and more comfortable with practicing gratitude you can enhance your practice with felt gratitude journaling, and finding a way to put gratitude in action. But even the smallest amount of gratitude will change your life in a positive way.
