Thanksgiving is that time of year where we pause to count all our blessings and show appreciation. But gratitude should be practiced all year long and every day! Especially since showing gratitude has been linked to better physical health, improved relationships, more energy, powerful mental/emotional strength, and many other amazing benefits!
To improve the quality of your life and the life of those around you, gratitude can be the key player to facilitate this at the highest level.
Here are some of the benefits that an attitude of gratitude will bring you!
1.Gratitude Opens More Doors and Builds Connections
Have you ever heard the saying “A person who feels appreciated will always do more than expected”
This rings true in any relationship-family, spouse, friends, employees, or business partners. A 2014 Study published in Emotion showed that strangers are more likely to seek an ongoing relationship from hearing appreciation from you. Whether this is through a thank you note or acknowledging their hard work, following up and showing sincere appreciation will always benefit you in the long run!
2.Gratitude Improves Confidence & Self Esteem
An essential component for optimal performance in an athlete is having great self esteem. A 2014 study published in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology found that gratitude increased athlete’s self-esteem tremendously! Many other studies have found that cultivating gratitude daily incredibly reduces social comparisons. As we are grateful for our own lives and blessings, there isn’t any resentment towards others successes. These studies have proven that people who are more grateful and positive each day, will appreciate their own accomplishments, as well as those around them.
3.Gratitude Is Good For Your Overall Health
Being grateful and focusing on the good each day has shown to be phenomenal for your physical and mental well being! According to a 2012 study published in Personality and Individual Differences, grateful people feel fewer aches and pains, sleep better, and are more likely to take care of their health.
Writing in a gratitude journal has been proven to drastically improve sleep. Take some time before bed and focus on all the good things that happened that day. As you’re reflecting, you’ll began to feel the stress or negative feelings dissipate! Whether you’re writing these in a journal or meditating, find some way to wind down and make a list of what you’re grateful for that day.
4.Gratitude Makes You a Happier Human Being
“The wealthiest person on earth is the one who appreciates.”-Tony Robbins
Lifestyle Entrepreneur and Speaker Tony Robbins has said in his speeches countless times that, fulfillment and happiness does not come solely from money. He’s worked with billionaires and hundreds of well known names, and has concluded that some of the wealthiest men and women he’s ever met, are some of the most unhappy!
Avoid getting in the pattern of saying “When I make this amount I’ll be happy” or “When I accomplish this…I’ll be happy”
Be happy NOW. Be grateful NOW for what you’ve been given and what you have in this moment. You never know when it can be gone, so never take it for granted!
Still, chase those goals and be ambitious for all the things you dream about, but make sure to always be appreciative and SHOW it along the way!
How to be more grateful
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Be aware of what you think and say
- Spend more time with loved ones
- Embrace any setbacks or failures as feedback. Learn from them and keep pushing forward!
- Mindfully use social media
- Volunteer. Participate in something that is outside of yourself and give back to others.
- Exercise regularly. This has been proven to reduce stress and set you up for more gratitude. “Life is a series of problems that have to be solved — and a lot of times those problems cause stress,” says Dr. Robert Emmons, gratitude researcher and psychology professor at the University of California, Davis. “Gratitude can be that stress buster.”
How to SHOW gratitude to the people around us
- Send a hand-written thank you note
- Spend quality time, take them out to lunch!
- Give a small thoughtful gift
- Be an active listener
- Perform a random act of kindness
- Always say Thank You
Thanks for reading, and as always, please comment and share what you are most grateful for or how you show gratitude towards others.
Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving this week!
Until next time!
Here’s some other great articles to teach you the benefits of cultivating gratitude in your daily life!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2014/11/23/7-scientifically-proven-benefits-of-gratitude-that-will-motivate-you-to-give-thanks-year-round/#79043f41183c
https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/gratitude.html
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/ten_ways_to_become_more_grateful1
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/27/gratitude-habits_n_4343934.html
https://www.inc.com/amy-morin/7-simple-ways-to-become-a-more-grateful-person.html
http://andthenwesaved.com/34-ways-to-show-gratitude/
https://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/6-unusual-and-powerful-ways-to-show-gratitude.html