From Journals to Practice: Gratitude-Based Living

The world can be a dark place. It’s easy to get lost in the chaos of it all, so much so that we sometimes forget how great life actually is. It’s easy to let the little things slide without even thinking about them, but if we’re being honest, those little things add up. What starts as one thing eventually turns into a bigger issue, and before you know it, your ungrateful heart has taken over you. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s really important in this world when there are so many negative forces at play -asking us to turn our attention inwards and away from what matters most. But that doesn’t mean we should stop searching for answers. The answers lie within us as well as without; they are hidden somewhere deep inside our hearts. We just have to find them. So instead of focusing on what isn’t working or how we can change things, why not look at what we can do differently? Instead of trying to figure out how to change the world or wishing it were different, why not take a moment and appreciate what it already has? A life of gratitude is one filled with appreciation for everything we have right now, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to others.

Related: Your Intro to Journaling - 3 Easy Ways to Start Gratitude Journaling

Start With Yourself

It’s easy to get lost in the day-to-day work grind and forget about the little things that make us happy, but it’s important to remember that these little things truly matter. They add up, and we have to take them into account when we find ourselves feeling down or ungrateful for our lives. Start with yourself; be grateful for what you have. Remember what brought you happiness before, as well as what has made you feel good in your life during this time. It is never too late or too soon to start a gratitude journal or just write down a few things that make you happy each day.

Related: 10 Easy Ways to Begin Practicing Mindfulness

Be Present For What You Have

One thing we can do to help create a life of gratitude is to be present for the things we have. Today, so many people rely on technology that it’s easy to forget what you’re missing when you don’t use it. Things like waiting for your food to get done, living in a world with no pictures or videos, or even just being able to talk face-to-face with someone else. Technology has made our lives better, but we need to remember that there are still some things that only happen in this world if you take the time to be present for them. We’re not always going to be able to control the hardships that come our way, but we can control how we respond and how grateful we are for what we have right now.

Cultivate Self-Compassion

If you want to live a life of gratitude, start by cultivating self-compassion. We all make mistakes and we all have good days and bad days. Recognizing these things as human beings is key to living an authentic life. Just because your day isn’t working out the way you want it to doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you. It just means that something in your day was going wrong and this allows us to learn from it and try again tomorrow. Self-compassion is the practice of treating yourself with kindness and understanding when difficulties occur. When we focus on our negative emotions and difficult situations, we allow ourselves to feel more vulnerable, which often leads to anxiety. If you want to cultivate self-compassion, start by recognizing that everyone feels pain or sadness every now and then; recognizing this will help us refrain from judgmental thoughts about ourselves that make us feel worse about ourselves than what's happening in reality. The more we give ourselves compassion, the easier it will be for us to experience happiness rather than being stuck in negativity or worry about what could go wrong next time

Practice The Art Of Saying Thank You

It’s easy to get caught up in the never-ending cycle of "what if" and "should," but it’s the little things that make life worth living. When you stop and think about all the things you are grateful for, your life will seem so much brighter. It will feel like there is always a reason to smile, take a break, or soak in what is going on around you. That's because gratitude feels good and makes everything else seem better. A life of gratitude isn’t something that happens overnight, but it starts with small changes and can eventually turn into a lifestyle. The idea is not to be perfect or be without anything negative happening in your life, but instead to focus on what's working well today and appreciate everything around you. A life of gratitude helps us stay humble because it reminds us of what we have and what we don't have as well as places our focus back on the present moment rather than worrying about what might happen tomorrow or in the future. It also helps us realize that while we may not always have control over how things unfold or how they turn out, we always have control over how we handle whatever comes our way. This practice can be done through journaling or by thanking people who deserve it in person when they show their appreciation back to us.

Don’t Take Things For Granted

A life of gratitude is one filled with appreciation for everything we have right now, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to others. It’s easy to take things for granted when we live in a world plagued by negativity and unhealthy choices. But living in a state of gratitude will take your life in a different direction. It will help you find peace and contentment even during the toughest times, and it will make your life better overall. It’s important that we don’t forget to appreciate the little things because they add up to make our lives what they are. We get so caught up in the day-to-day that we forget about all of the good things around us, but if you start paying attention to what you have, you might be surprised at how much there actually is.

Stay Prisoner To Nothingness

Many people think of gratitude as a vague emotion, so they never take the time to feel it. But like any other feeling, it’s important to let our hearts and minds feel the emotions that are already there. They may not be always easy for us to do, but this is where we start to change our perspective on things and how we see the world around us. Gratitude is all about acknowledging what we have instead of being a prisoner of nothingness. It’s about appreciating what we have and remembering that life isn’t perfect and can’t be changed, but it doesn’t mean that we should give up or stop trying to make things better for ourselves and others. We should hold onto this idea at all times because even in the darkest times, gratitude can provide hope.

Conclusion

Gratitude is an important part of life - a feeling of appreciation for the good in your life. It can also be a reminder that you are not alone and that there is always something to be thankful for.

Related: Five Ways To Use A Gratitude Journal To Improve Your Life

Photo by Suad Kamardeen on Unsplash