It’s the time of the year when we celebrate thankfulness. We’ve been told throughout our lives that having gratitude is important. It is. It can also make life easier. Today, I discuss 4 ways gratitude makes life more simple.
I’ll be honest. I can be a grump. I can complain too much. This is one of my weaknesses. But I also do my best to practice gratitude. And I’ve discovered something. Being thankful can make life easier. Here’s how:
- You complain less and reduce stress: Face it. When you’re unthankful, you’re grumpy. Gratitude helps you to focus on the positive things in your daily life. When we accentuate the positive, our stress levels will decrease tremendously. Try saying thank you a few times today.
- Others will be more helpful: People don’t like to help demanding jerks. I’ve learned over the years that in most cases, I’m much more likely to get people to work with me through the use kindness. When we acknowledge others and thank them for their roles, we will accomplish more.
- You release feel-good dopamine: Gratitude is like a drug. A good drug. Science has discovered that being grateful actually changes us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Anxiety and depression decrease. Happiness and tranquility increase. That’s a win-win for you!
- You want less and become more accepting: When we are thankful for what we already have, we become more content. Realizing that our lives are already quite blessed has great power. Not only do you become more accepting of your own circumstances, you”ll also become more accepting of other people.
Start And End Each Day With Thankfulness
So now that we’ve discussed 4 ways gratitude makes life more simple, how can we put thankfulness into action. Here’s what I’ve made a commitment to do: To start and end each day with gratitude. This especially works well if you practice prayer, but that’s not a must.
When you first awake, consider three things that you are thankful for in your life. They might be things you are thankful about in general: good health, a job, or your home. Or they might be specific to that day: a meeting with a friend, a new business account, etc.
Do the same thing at the end of the day just before you go to sleep.
Here’s what I discovered. When you take the time to be thankful at the beginning and end of each day, you become more thankful and positive all day long. Give it a try. I think you’ll find similar results.
