On this journey to discover this new and beautiful us, I have come to the realization that achieving that place of inner beauty often starts and ends with gratitude and thankfulness. Psalms 100:4 says “Enter His gates with thanksgiving."

What are the gates? What is happening when we are thankful and in a place of gratitude? When we are thankful it opens the gates to the infinite. Wayne Dyer says “The universe provides abundantly when you are in a state of gratefulness”. Christians say thankfulness opens the gates to heaven!

Thirty four days ago I challenged you to start a journal with anything you have around. I am now rethinking that advice, I think this journal should be something of value, something special to you. What we value, we prioritize! We MUST prioritize thankfulness and gratitude.
 

Gratitude journals remind us to stop, pause and be grateful. They also facilitate gratitude and thankfulness as a continuous habit. 

 
The human mind easily adapts and habituates to our world. We become accustomed and sometimes even apathetic to both the positive and negative things in our life; as a consequence the positive things may become less awesome and the negative things may become commonplace. Therefore we often forget to be thankful!

How can we overcome our adaptation or even apathy to life?

1. Savoring life

When we are fully present in the moment we are able to savor it which in turn prompts us to be thankful for it. 

Ways to practice savoring and make it a lasting moment or memory:

• talk to another person about the experience

• share the experience with another person

• think about how blessed we are

• laugh or giggle often

• replay the happy memory by telling another person about it

• take a picture of the moment

• Write about it in our journals

Stop to watch the sunset, Stop and listen to a baby laugh, Soak up the feeling of a young child’s hand in yours, no matter the circumstance or what is going on during that time, stop and take in the joy, love and beauty. Then be thankful!

2. Imagine this day is your last!

Imagine that a situation or thing was going to end, what would you miss? Wouldn’t you feel thankful for every moment you had left? We are very familiar with this feeling now that we are in quarantine. Thinking about losing something often helps us pop out of adaptation or apathy, savor the NOW and facilitates gratefulness.  

3. Negative Visualization

Negative visualization is thinking about what might have happened if circumstances were different. The movie “It's a Wonderful Life” is a great depiction of negative visualization. Circumstances were very bad for George Bailey. He wanted to die! But life could have been worse if he wasn’t born. When we visualize the negative things that could have happened, we are able to appreciate the more positive outcomes that did happen. Remember circumstances that seem negative may be just what needs to take place to better you or your life!

There are Benefits to Gratitude 

Scientists have found that being grateful for our experiences in life has a multitude of benefits on our health and overall wellness-

• Overall happiness increases

• Negative physical symptoms decrease

• People with gratitude journals exercise an hour more each week than those without

• and more...

Today's Challenge 

Ralph Waldo Emerson -  Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude. 

My challenge for you, continuously: 

Express gratitude for everything in your life, good and bad. 

Express gratitude for others. Call or write a message to a friend that you haven't talked to in a while, let them know you are grateful for them. Extra points if you hand write a letter and deliver it to them :)