Create A Dynamic Gratitude Journaling Practice

If you've recently begun gratitude journaling, you might be contemplating whether you're optimizing the benefits of your daily ritual. Deciding this is a personal matter, but there are eight actions you can take to enhance your journaling experience and obtain maximum benefits. Whether you're on a healing journey or simply aiming to introduce thankfulness into your daily life for a more contented existence, writing down your thoughts in a gratitude journal is a powerful tool. This is why gratitude journals are so popular.

So, if you've felt stumped for ideas of what to write about, give the following eight ideas a try. I believe you'll have plenty to write about in no time!

The feelings are in the details.

Expressing gratitude for your home and cherished relationships is a heartwarming exercise. Yet, soon, it’s common to find yourself stuck in a loop of sameness. The key to maintaining this practice is to delve into the finer details, uncovering the nuances that make each experience unique. Rather than merely naming individuals or items, explore the specific reasons behind your appreciation. For instance, instead of a generic thanks to a best friend, tell them exactly what moments touched your heart. Like the time they stayed up with you all night, offering a listening ear when you needed it the most. By delving into these specifics, your gratitude becomes more reflective and authentic. This approach not only keeps your expressions of thankfulness fresh and engaging but also fosters a deeper connection with the elements of your life that bring you joy and support.

Pause and appreciate the moment.

In the rush of your daily life, taking a moment to center yourself through mindfulness or meditation can be a transformative practice. By intentionally pausing and emptying your mind, you create a space to tune into your current emotional, physical, and spiritual state. As you relax, allowing your mind to drift freely, you discover a treasure trove of simple yet beautiful moments to be thankful for. Whether it's the gentle melody of wind chimes outside or the enticing aroma of dinner wafting from the oven. These small details often go unnoticed in the rush of your routines. Writing about these recent sources of gratitude not only deepens your appreciation for the present moment but also serves as a reminder of life's small joys that enrich your daily experiences.

Ask yourself why, and then ask why again.

When expressing gratitude, take a moment to explore the layers beneath your initial thankful thought. Dive deeper into the why behind your appreciation and ask yourself probing questions until you uncover the root cause. For instance, your gratitude for chocolate chip cookies may lead you to a cherished childhood memory of your grandmother baking them for you with love. By acknowledging these underlying sentiments, you not only celebrate the surface-level joys but also the sentimental “treasures" that amplify your gratitude. This reflective practice not only heightens the richness of your expressions but also strengthens the emotional connections between you and the sources of your gratitude.

Broaden the field of your gratitude.

If your daily gratitude reflections have begun to feel repetitive, consider broadening your perspective to uncover appreciation in different facets of your life. It's natural to emphasize family, but there's a vast reservoir of gratitude in work achievements, past experiences, and the beauty of nature. By varying your sources of gratitude, you infuse freshness into your reflections and develop a more well-rounded perception of thankfulness. Here are some tips to help you explore gratitude beyond the familiar:

• Shift your focus: Direct your gratitude lens towards areas like work accomplishments, personal growth, or moments in nature.

• Reflect on past experiences: Revisit cherished memories or lessons learned from challenges to find gratitude in your journey.

• Connect with nature: Acknowledge the simple wonders of the natural world around you, from a sunrise to a blooming flower.

• Express gratitude for small wins: Celebrate daily triumphs, no matter how minor, to cultivate positivity.

• Rotate themes: Designate specific days for different themes, such as relationships, achievements, or the beauty of the world, to keep your gratitude practice dynamic and engaging.

Take a break and do something else.

If the thoughts aren’t coming, give yourself a break. This isn’t a race. Walk away and do something else for a bit, such as emptying the dishwasher. Let your mind wander through this activity. What about this task? Can you be grateful for clean dishes? How about the time you shared with your family cleaning up the kitchen together after dinner last night? Perhaps the meal you’re going to eat next on these dishes? Come back and write about these things. Give them a new slant.

It's sometimes surprising to see just how much there is to be grateful for, isn't it? The best part? The more you journal your gratitude, the more your attitude will shift to one of compassion and kindness. Truly, a grateful heart is a happy one!

Try a different structure.

When most people think of journaling, they think of writing letters to themselves or simply writing sentences about their feelings. But this isn’t the only structure you can journal in, and the truth is, it may not be the most effective for you. Consider changing your journal structure, or better yet, using more than one structure in your journaling. This will ensure you are getting the most out of your journaling time. Consider adding lists, photos, tables, or diagrams to your gratitude journaling.

Be complimentary to yourself.

In gratitude journaling, people tend to write about all the things or people they are grateful for in their lives. And there is nothing wrong with this, just make sure you don’t forget to be thankful for the most important person you know, yourself! The best practice is to write a few things you like about yourself each day when you journal. This way, you can reflect on how your day went and watch your transformation as you become a better version of yourself. 

Be grateful for any lessons you’ve learned.

No one’s life is perfect, and when gratitude journaling, you may find that sometimes you have days where you make major mistakes that you are embarrassed by. And this is okay, and even something you should be thankful for! Rather than viewing your mistakes as setbacks, include them in your gratitude journal as lessons, approach them with an open mind, and be grateful for having had the opportunity to learn. This will help keep you from making the same mistakes again.

Fostering gratitude is not just about listing the people or things you're thankful for but noticing and recording the details that make each moment special. By exploring the nuances of your appreciation, expressing gratitude becomes a richer and more authentic practice. Whether you're uncovering the buried moments of your past, savoring the small joys in everyday life, or broadening your scope to new areas, gratitude is a dynamic force that can bring positivity and depth to your reflections. Remember to center yourself, allowing your mind to drift and find unexpected sources of thankfulness. With these tips in mind, your gratitude practice can evolve, staying fresh and meaningful every day. Embrace the variety of your experiences, and let gratitude become a powerful and transformative thread woven into the fabric of your life.

My final thoughts.

Wherever you are in your gratitude journaling journey, you are certainly benefiting from the practice. But if you truly want to make sure you are getting the most from it, don’t forget to compliment yourself, and don’t be afraid to see your mistakes. After all, your gratitude journal is a safe space for you to express everything you are grateful for without any outside judgment. 

For more information, check out these posts.

5 Reasons Keeping A Gratitude Journal Will Change Your Life.

It’s Never Too Late To Begin A Journaling Habit.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

What Makes You Feel Grateful And Happy

Gram’s wisdom 47.

Are you ready for more joy and happiness in your life? Gram had told me you won’t find happiness in stuff. That kind of happiness is short-lived because it needs constant stimulus. Instead, you need to practice daily gratitude for long-lasting happiness and contentment. I saw the truth of this as a teenager. My Gram always appeared happy with herself, and where she was in her life.

So, with Gram’s words ringing in my ears and heart, I committed to myself to write down and verbally express what makes me grateful and happy in my life. 

Consider a gratitude practice.

Gratitude sounds delightful, and you should practice it every day. Consider what happens to your brain if you don't practice gratitude and other positive emotions. Your brain is designed to give you what you think about most. In this case, if you think that your life is lacking and nothing ever goes your way, then your brain gets a mistaken idea. Your brain begins looking for more ways to decrease the joy in your life.

By turning that around, when you practice gratitude, your brain believes you want more gratitude combined with happiness and joy. It then works 24/7 looking for ways that you can show gratitude to others as it understands what you give out, will come back to you.

Now, let’s look at some fundamental ways that gratitude can make you happy today and into your senior years.

Believe in your worth.

You have several emotions that can be felt on any given day. You may have a day when you feel drained, and nothing goes your way. It leaves you floundering with your self-worth and self-esteem. This, in turn, diminishes the amount of daily happiness you feel as you struggle to believe you are worthwhile.

When this happens, it leaves you feeling like you don’t deserve what you have in life. Practicing daily gratitude for what you do well and what you currently have in life will improve your self-worth. You will start to stand a little taller and speak with more confidence. You already have enough knowledge in your life, and daily gratitude will make you grateful and start you on the path to helping others.

Remember the people you feel grateful for.

Going through traumatic experiences in life can severely reduce the amount of happiness you feel daily. Gratitude will help you regain that happiness. Emotional trauma can be caused by one person or even an entire family. When this happens, you need to remember the people you feel grateful for, like the person who stands up for you, or that friend who always listens.

Focus on the people who did not cause you injury in your life and list why you are grateful for them. Gratitude and suffering are an unusual pair; but, people who have suffered a terrible accident or illness often find gratitude helps. They increase their happiness by focusing on gratitude for what they have, what they have now, and the lessons that they have learned from their trauma.

Gratitude is like water.

Gratitude is like water. We need water to dilute liquids we find hard to drink. We need water to promote growth. We need water to soften our skin and hydrate us. Gratitude dilutes our harsh emotions, such as anger, frustration, and stress. When those negative emotions become diluted, it provides room for positive emotions such as joy and happiness to grow.

Gratitude not only helps to grow happiness but also takes existing happiness and boosts it. Think of happiness as an ice cream sundae. It tastes great and makes you feel good. But what happens when you add one or two cherries to the top of that ice cream? The flavor is now boosted to the point that your taste buds are screaming with joy.

So, gratitude and happiness go hand in hand. You experience an event such as your niece's 1st birthday party. Without gratitude, you are happy and exchange pleasant words with your sibling. With gratitude and happiness, you double down. Your pleasure now lights up the room, and people want to spend more time with you. They want to absorb the joy and happiness you bring wherever you go.

Compassion and service.

Are you a caring and sharing sort of person? If you are, happiness is part of your life because you serve others. When your gratitude bank is low, you may not be looking out for the best interests of others. It becomes harder to volunteer when help is needed.

Focus on building up your gratitude. Selflessness, when you spread your love and joy to others, can help you receive a boost in happiness. To stand by not serving others will decrease your happiness, and we know that it is not what you want for yourself. As you help others with problems, you will feel happier. In your heart, you will know that you are part of the solution to life's problems.

There are many things seniors can be grateful for.

As you age, you may find it difficult to discover things to be grateful for. Could there be a chance your family or career didn’t turn out as you had pictured it? There is also the possibility that your health will not let you do many activities that you once had done. This is where gratitude can be beneficial for you. Here are 8 things you can appreciate as you age.

1. This is an amazing opportunity as you are already retired or soon to be. Many seniors lament the feeling that without a job they are now useless. Others sit at home and complain that they have nothing to do. If you didn't plan for activities after retirement, get started now. Working and looking after children can be time-consuming. As a senior, you can say, "my time is my own.” Make a list of things you are grateful for that you can do but couldn't do in your middle age. This could include travel, volunteering, or even going back to school.

2. Count the friendships you have had over the years. Some have come and gone for different reasons. You may have even ended a few because you realized it was an unhealthy relationship. Now be grateful for those long-lasting relationships you formed and take the time to make the bond stronger. Be there for each other as you age and express your gratitude for each friend verbally and with written notes. Make time to meet for lunch or maybe coffee occasionally.

3. As we go through school and 40-odd years of work, we may lose a sense of who we are as people. The pace of life was hectic. Now that you are older, you can reflect on your overall makeup, and if you see a need to improve areas of your attitude or mindset, you can do that. Be thankful for the opportunity to fine-tune who you are. Next, find ways to show your gratitude and wisdom to younger people who may be struggling in different areas.

4. Hitting senior years means that you will now get small rewards. There may have been times in your life when you wished you had a discount at the drugstore or for something such as travel. Yes, the senior's discounts are not huge, but something is better than nothing. Feel gratitude for having made it this far when so many do not and being around to get that freebie just because you have silver hair.

5. This is a golden opportunity to spend more time with your loved ones, including children and grandchildren. While they love seeing you, they are also grateful that you are there to lend an ear or even do something special for them. Social media shows us several videos of elderly parents doing special things for their children. One video shows a father driving to his daughter's house and spreading salt, so she doesn't slip on her way to the car. Feel the gratitude that you are here and able to treat your children with love and respect. You may have had a career that cut down on the amount of time you could spend with your children. Now is your time to shine.

6. As you move along in your senior years, you now have time to spend going through your positive memories. One special activity you can do is build a collage or scrapbook of old photographs. Take each special photograph and consider why you were grateful for that moment. Flesh this scrapbook out by writing down the details such as names, dates, and places. Once you have built your collage, have a special dinner with your loved ones and share what you have done. They will be grateful for your love, and in time it will be a keepsake for them.

7. You now have the time to pursue not just one hobby but many. Working on hobbies will keep you mentally sharp. This is also a chance to be grateful for the grandchildren, and you can even share your hobby. For example, woodworking is an amazing hobby; any grandchild would love to do it with you. A hobby shared across a table is one of the best ways to talk with a grandchild.

8. While technology can sometimes be overwhelming, it is something you can be grateful for as a senior. Think back to when parents had to write a letter to one of their children who had moved to another country. You can connect instantly with your children no matter where they are. You can also be grateful for the amazing advancements in medicine and overall self-care. You have specialized vitamins for seniors to keep you healthy, whereas your grandparents did not. Think about how technology is helping you and be grateful for it.

My final thoughts.

Gratitude has played an immense part in my life. It was my Gram who shared with me that gratitude is a feeling of the heart and mind. I have seen and felt throughout my life that happiness and contentment are a direct result of the gratitude in your heart.

For further information, read these posts.

Six Benefits Of Practicing Gratitude For Seniors.

3 Awesome Benefits From Daily Gratitude.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Pass it on to someone you know who would find it beneficial.

3 Awesome Benefits From Daily Gratitude

When we practice gratitude, time slows, almost to a stop. And this is the time when we look up and feel grateful to be here, now, and alive. It is a mindful time, this slow time. It allows us to experience situations and things in a richer more fulfilling manner. Being grateful, paired with the things that bring value to our lives helps us feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally.

But rather than an exhaustive list, let’s look at a short list of 3 things that cover most conditions you will face in life.   

1| Feeling of acceptance, that you will have enough of what you need now.

2| Knowing how to end negative mindsets, and methods used to find inner peace.

3| Utilizing resiliency to believe you can overcome challenges and discover solutions.

When you understand gratitude.

When you feel gratitude, you appreciate what you have, and it runs much deeper than uttering a simple “thank you,” This is not a knock to “thank you”, without which our daily lives would not progress as smoothly. Gratitude comes from within your heart, and it involves a more deliberate focus on what you need in life, versus what you want or what society deems you should want. And when you are grateful, you not only show your appreciation to others and the world at large, but you are gifted with contentment, and a more positive attitude and outlook.

Being grateful begins when you recognize the many things in your life that are rewarding, positive, and good. And when you can make these acknowledgments, you will find that you begin feeling like you have enough. Instead of lacking something, your life feels very full. When you focus on gratitude for the positive aspects of your life, you see past the negatives and find that, regardless of adversities or pain, you have much to remember and honor in your life.

When you express gratitude for your life and the people and situations in it, you feel happier, and your steps become lighter. When you place your focus on what is positive in your life, rather than what is negative or lacking, you are more likely to see a rosier, more optimistic future. You may notice that with time it becomes easier to maintain this upbeat mindset, as well. When others see you as being appreciative, they will display a more positive attitude toward you, as well.

Learn to feel you have enough.

Learning to express more gratitude for what you already have, helps you value consumerism less in life. Pursuing wealth and the accumulation of “stuff” has been shown repeatedly to be a miserable substitute for true happiness and learning to value what you have makes you want or need less in your life, leading to less buyer’s disappointment and more enjoyment.

When you appreciate what you have in your life, and you feel deeply grateful for things, you learn the worth of the opportunities that exist and what could be achievable in your life. Working with a mindset that you need more, or just never have enough, leaves you feeling empty and always wanting more, but learning to feel grateful for what you have can help you to feel overflowing and that what you have is, indeed, enough.

When you see the opportunities that exist in life, rather than the life you anticipate or imagine will happen, you begin to learn and grow in new and vital ways that bring you happiness and joy. Learning to appreciate your life for what it is, rather than what you believe it should be, opens your mind and heart to realize the possibilities that lay before you.

“Sometimes we spend so much time and energy thinking about where we want to go that we don’t notice where we happen to be.”

— DAN GUTMAN

Seeing life as it is, not as you expect it to be, gives you the chance to consider what you can do with the life you have right now. It stops you from thinking so much about the “might have been” and lets you instead concentrate on the “what is.” And when you learn to live in the present, you will see that your life is full and rich, and you already have what you need to accomplish your goals.

Discover inner peace with gratitude.

What obstructs you from feeling peace in your life? The apprehension and worry, the grief, the pain, and the wish for something you do not have all rob you of peace and contentment. All of these take a toll on your heart and your mind, leaving you with frustration instead of joy.

There are plenty of times in your life when it feels like there is nothing for which you can be grateful. Everything appears to be going wrong, and you are so tired of feeling crushed all the time. At last, you find yourself asking, “Why is this happening to me?” and finally you are ready for a shift in perspective. Rather than fixing only what is wrong in your life, that is the perfect moment to figure out all that is right, instead.

Ladies Beach Yoga

The relationship between gratitude and peace.

When you contemplate the things, you have lost, do not have, or can’t have, you automatically create tension in your brain that results in discontent and unease. This focus on lack causes you to feel in need, which your mind translates into a necessity that must be addressed. When you focus, instead, on the things you have and what is positive in your life, your mind is at rest.

Gratitude for what you have helps you to be more patient with others and with life because you understand that you have much and that there is more to come. When you habitually focus on appreciating what you have, you feel like you need less, you can wait longer for a perceived benefit, and you are more likely to want to give to others rather than keep what you have for yourself.

Practicing daily gratitude.

 If you are interested in developing a gratitude practice, there are many simple ways to incorporate this focus into your daily routine. Here are 5 examples that have worked for other people.

• Try a mindful breathing exercise. Sit quietly and take deep breaths. Be thankful for your ability to breathe in and out each time. Focus on how each breath affects your body and makes you feel.

• Each morning lay in bed or sit quietly and think of five things for which you are grateful. It only takes a few minutes, but it starts your day off on a positive note and helps you produce an optimistic mindset for the day ahead.

• Thank someone in your life. Be sure to recognize the large and small things that people do to help you. Whether it is a stranger or your partner, saying “thank you” and telling others why you appreciate them can have a powerful influence on you, as well as on them.

• Stop and look around you. Take notice of the beauty of the day, how the natural world enhances your life, or how the sun’s warmth makes you feel. Listen to the wind or birds, smell the flowers or fresh air, and feel the grass between your toes. Be grateful for what the world offers to you each day.

• Before going to bed each night, take a few minutes to reflect on your appreciation for the day. What were your blessings or gifts? What is going well in your life? What are you most grateful for currently?

Feelings of gratitude help you to feel that you have enough, that your world is full of positive things and people, and that you are satisfied. All of this helps you feel at peace with the world and within yourself. And once you achieve inner peace, it is easier to tackle the outer impediments, blocks, and struggles of daily life.

Gratitude increases resiliency.

When it comes to our negative self-talk, we are remarkably good at identifying and picking out all the things that are “wrong” with us or with our lives, what needs to be “corrected,” and how things are not so good for us right now. But it is more difficult for us to consider the positive aspects of our lives. Once we are in a state of upheaval, it becomes tricky to think past the problems we are currently facing and to be grateful for the blessings we have in our lives.

But, if you can make this mental shift, if you can change your mindset to one of gratitude over one of discontent or scarcity, then you will find that you are much better prepared to overcome barriers and move past setbacks in your life. It turns out that being grateful expands our resiliency and strength, which can help us in demanding times.

We focus on the negative.

There is a reason why your mind tends to think more about the problems you are facing. Your brain is geared toward this way of thinking because you must be aware of those hurdles that intervene in your life if you hope to move past them. You must be alert to complications, or else you will not be able to figure out how to conquer them. And, because the positive things in your life are propelling you forward mostly without your attention, your mind decides that you do not need to pay attention to those because, after all, they are working just fine without your awareness.

But are they? As it turns out, when you lose focus on the positive aspect of your life, you begin to feel more negative and have trouble seeing answers to the problems you may face. Negativity tends to breed more negativity, leading you to feel more miserable once you are miserable, more worried once you feel worried, and less like you can succeed when you experience failure or setbacks.

Being grateful takes attention and work. It is not something that will magically happen. But when you learn to focus on those things in your life that you appreciate, you will notice many improvements, including feeling stronger and better equipped to overcome the difficulties that you will inevitably face in life.

When you practice regular gratitude exercises, you not only see how you have been able to defeat past barriers and setbacks, but you trust more positively in your future. Being grateful helps you detect the positive things in your life that can help you to beat whatever you are facing, too.

When you are grateful and express this in your life, others see it and react positively, too, helping you form stronger relationships that can help you during distressing times. And being appreciative in your life improves your self-esteem, which can give you the extra lift you need to successfully navigate complexities and barriers.

Learning to be more grateful also helps you to see the positive aspects of the struggle, which include teaching you many valuable life lessons and helping you to build strength through hardship. Changing your mindset to one that values failure as a learning experience is invaluable to successfully navigating these types of setbacks.

 My final thoughts.

Cultivating an attitude of gratitude can help you feel you have enough, fill your being with inner peace, and become more resilient and mentally strong over time. Try just one gratitude exercise per day to alter your mindset and convey all the positive values you esteem in your life.

For more information, you may want to look at these posts.

4 Ways To Practice Gratitude And Build Resilience.

Create A Gratitude Mindset Habit.

I hope you find this post beneficial and share it with your family and friends.

What Is The Essence Of Contentment?

Gram’s Wisdom 41

I’m sure you are more than familiar with the phrase or idea that you should be happy with what you have. All the same, when you don't have much, it’s easy to question such a notion. For a lot of people, contentment is elusive, a willow the-wisp. It's impossible to hold onto and there's always some piece of the puzzle that doesn't fit in their life.

My Gram told me in a perfect world we wouldn’t worry or fret about anything, we would be content, and then she’d go on to remind me that it is not a perfect world. I never saw Gram flustered because she felt inadequate or that she didn’t get enough done in a day. She once told me that busyness without purpose is just an unnecessary activity. She believed we should give ourselves the space to focus on what we love. As in many other things, Gram’s contentment was fueled by gratitude for her health, her strength, and her blessings.

In a perfect world, we would all be on the path toward wellness and contentment. So, this is an opportunity to set yourself on the path to contentment, and acceptance is key. The concept of contentment through acceptance comes from the idea that someone can feel satisfied with life, feel at peace with who they are, and be comfortable with where they are in life if they simply accept it.

Through self-appreciation and self-acceptance of the present moment, (mindfulness), you can achieve a level of life-contentment that has so far eluded you. You can achieve a level of tranquility and inner peace that you can move forward with.

A life minus contentment.

For many people, life is a competition. They constantly strive for more because they are comparing themselves with others. They are frantic to increase what they have and claw ahead of the pack. Whether it's their wealth, job title, home, or car.

There's always something to upgrade or add to. This sort of feeling will always impede your way of contentment, because how can you identify your good fortune if you are so focused on getting more than what you already have?

These types of people struggle to recognize true milestones and successes because it never feels like it's enough. The urge to push on overpowers any feeling of contentment. It's a burden, and it can be overwhelming.

For people who shape their lives around chasing accomplishments and goals, it can be challenging to appreciate those accomplishments. Even if they realize the vision they created of their ideal life and lifestyle, even if they check every box on their list, it might never be enough.

Learn to love yourself.

Contentment is an essential part of the human experience, even though it eludes many. It might not provide you with immediate, noticeable benefits, yet the qualities contentment brings can change your daily life and help you improve your relationships.

The first step to achieving contentment is acceptance. It's the acceptance of who you are right now. It's the acceptance of who you were in the past, even if you didn't like yourself. Contentment is the acceptance of your situation. It's acceptance of your position, your family, and every part of your life. The second step to contentment is not criticizing yourself, and the third is never trying to change others. When you finally accept these, what comes next?

Contentment can bring you peace of mind. Through acceptance of your life, you can enjoy a renewed positivity and peace of mind that will permit you to enjoy your days more. It doesn't mean you can't continue working toward improving yourself or your future.

Contentment can improve your feeling of happiness. It's so closely tied to feelings of happiness, that accepting your situation can boost your happiness levels. When you spend time feeling more grateful for what you have and what you've done, you can stop obsessing over doing more, which is going to improve your overall quality of life.

Contentment can lead to healthier relationships. As you accept your current situation and embrace contentment, you become a more positive person to be around. You also find it easier to accept others despite their shortcomings or flaws. It's easier to build healthier relationships when you accept your situation and find contentment.

Acceptance doesn't mean you let go of goals or give up on your dreams. It's normal to want to improve yourself and, you can do so while still feeling content. With a positive outlook and a degree of acceptance, you can lead a life of contentment.

Health and well-being.

Much of the unhealthiness that people experience is due to discontent. The mindless eating of junk food, while providing comfort and stress relief, can build up many health issues. Add this to a reluctance to exercise because of poor self-image, tiredness, or that same ill health, and what you have is a dangerous cocktail.

Depression is on the rise, and stress is out of control. How can anyone find contentment in this economy? It appears there's always something lurking there to bring you down.

From an endless stream of more bad news to outrage on social media and a growing ever-connectedness… it is tough out there. It all contributes to where you are now. One of the best ways to alleviate the stresses of the modern world, and stimulate contentment, is mindfulness.

Contentment is a state of being, and while it's linked to happiness, it doesn't mean you will always be happy. There are many ways you can build your contentment levels, but one of the biggest drivers of it is simplicity. Focus on the little things that give you simple joys. More to the point, focus on the present, which is exactly what mindfulness focuses on.

Mindfulness fuels peace and contentment.

First, there's that peace or inner calm. It's the state of being agitation-free. Perhaps a more accurate definition would be when the ocean of life is calm. You can better cope with what waves come when you begin from a place of peace.

When you mindfully meditate, it stimulates the area of your brain in control of emotions and thoughts It also engages the part of your brain that controls your worry levels. So, by engaging these parts of your brain and encouraging a sense of calm, mindfulness helps promote contentment.

I have always described happiness as a choice. It's something within you that you choose every day. While contentment might not be quite the same as happiness, there are a lot of choices involved that contribute to your sense of contentment.

While happiness is associated with pleasant emotions, contentment runs deeper. Often, happiness is a byproduct of contentment. Contentment is about being satisfied with your life, your situation, yourself, and the present moment. Wherever you mind yourself, you find a way to make the most of it. That is exactly what mindfulness promotes.

5 Characteristics Of Contentment PDF

Practicing mindfulness.

So, let's put you on the path to contentment by practicing mindfulness. With that in mind, I want to provide you with several choices on how to practice mindfulness.

Compassionate communication.

The most challenging time to practice mindfulness is when everything is topsy-turvy, and you are in defense mode. Often, those moments are when you are trying to communicate difficult ideas or emotions to someone. So, practice communicating with compassion.

◦          When you feel tense, and emotions are running high, pause and take a breath before you respond. Take a moment to reconnect with your compassionate self before you engage any further.

◦          Listen with an open heart and an open mind. You don't have to accept verbal abuse, but you can actively listen with compassion.

Practice gratitude.

There are a variety of ways you can practice gratitude. It isn't a complicated process, but what it does require is mindful commitment. You must commit to carving out a few minutes every day to practice. It's easy – just close your eyes and think of a few things you're truly grateful for.

Or you can keep a journal and make a list of three to five things you appreciate. It doesn't have to be complicated – it could be a thunderstorm to break the humidity, the strong coffee you had with breakfast, your body for getting you through the day, your job providing for your basic needs, your partner, children, or pet. Once you begin, you will soon see just how much you truly have.

Be an outside observer

When the ocean of life is calm, it's nice. But, what about when the waves are riding high? Practice observing them as an unemotional observer. When you deal with big emotions, you associate certain stories with them, and it becomes difficult to detach them from each other. It's the quickest way to drown in all that negativity.

You can use meditation to observe these emotions, label them, and separate them from what's going on.

Mindfulness meditation focuses on replacing negative thoughts with positive ones to break the negative mindset habit. It's something you can practice every day and in everyday situations. It increases your sense of gratitude, which further fuels your sense of contentment.

My final thoughts.

I believe that gratitude is the most important fuel we add to our lives. If you begin with gratitude, you will feel a noticeable amount of contentment. Add any of the above-mentioned changes to your day, and you will have life-changing contentment.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post as much as I enjoyed writing it.

For more information, read the posts below.

Gratitude, Mindfulness, And Positivity, 3 Valuable Mindsets

The Simple Practice That Can Bring You Deep Contentment

Gratitude, Mindfulness, And Positivity, 3 Valuable Mindsets

A trio of mindsets.

What are your first thoughts in the morning the moment you wake up? Do you feel grateful for waking up to another day in your life? Are you filled with positive energy and appreciation? Are you eager to begin your morning habits/ tasks? Or are you more likely to rehash yesterday's anxieties and worries, leaving you feeling empty at the beginning of your day?

Too often, people aren’t aware of the way they begin their day. They just do whatever feels most natural to them. If your life is filled with stress and anxiety, it will feel natural to react with unease and negativity. But ultimately, who decides what your life feels like? You do.

It’s not situations that happen to you. It’s not your job nor the negative people you are surrounded by. You decide, whether you are aware of it or not, by allowing positivity or negativity to dictate your days. That's how you keep attracting more of whatever you give the most focus.

Rather than beginning your day on autopilot, try a mindful approach to gratitude. Exercising mindfulness helps you to be present at the moment. For 2-3 days, express gratitude for the air in your lungs, or just being alive. Once you have done that for a few days, you can expand your appreciation to include things like your comfortable bed or your first cup of coffee.

What changes may come?

Eventually, what appears to look like the key to changing all of that is some form of life intervention. And yes, some external changes can bring about an improvement in your well-being and life. Still, sometimes you’ve had enough. So, you ditch the toxic relationships, the soul-sucking jobs, or the unhappy places, and that makes a world of difference.

However, there is an equally powerful agent of change that can deliver tremendous results for your well-being. It doesn't cost much, and everyone can afford it - it's gratitude. Several studies show that expressing gratitude is the easiest and most reliable way to boost happiness and health. And who doesn’t want that?

The importance of positive thinking.

Positive thinking is an important basis for a person's overall life philosophy. It's almost too simple: "positive thoughts generate positive feelings and positive results." However, research on emotions confirms that positive emotions generally wear off very quickly. So how do you maintain it?

Your emotions revel in novelty so much that a brand-new car or a luxe handbag may only make you feel thrilled for a limited time. Soon the novelty wears off and depending on your car or bag as sources of happiness won't be sufficient.

You'll then need another pair of shoes or maybe a diamond watch to spark your excitement. This slump in your happiness factor can cost you big bucks if you rely on material things as primary sources of positivity. Because of their fleeting influence, 'things' don't sustain joy. You need something less temporary and more permanent.

Gratitude magnifies positivity.

Gratitude is potent because it doesn't cost anything but can attract and magnify more positivity in your life.

Fostering gratitude enables you to find joy in ordinary things, the little things, refining your ability to see value in the simplest of ways, creating lasting joy. Even if you're surrounded with material blessings, it’s gratitude that keeps you contented rather than feeling a need for more than what you have.

A person can look so blessed from the outside and the perspective of other people, but unless they're grateful, they often don't know how truly well-off they are. Some rich people are neither contented nor happy. They’re in a constant state of needing more to generate feelings of happiness.

Meanwhile, some people seem to have less in life but feel grateful and blessed because they have what matters most to them. Gratitude doesn't quantify whether you have much or have very little; it simply turns what you have into ample, causing you to 'have' so much more.

How mindfulness fits in.

Gratitude is wonderful; it's like a magic pill that causes you to feel happier and appreciate what you have. However, like everything else, it has its limitations.

When bad things happen to you, it can at that moment be difficult to feel grateful. Gratitude, however, can help shine a light on other reasons to feel more thankful and blessed with life, but it doesn't deliver solutions on its own. Gratitude alone won't help you fix your problems.

Thus, your ability to accept things for what they are or how they are is just as important. Life will regularly deliver knocks. When situations are difficult, we need to find a way to respond graciously even if life is crappy. Gratitude may not be enough to eliminate natural feelings that come because of your situation.

Sometimes, gratitude needs more time to awaken your awareness. This is where mindfulness comes into play. Take time to observe what’s around you. It may be you may need to give yourself a few days or weeks to begin benefitting from the practice of mindfulness in your life.

For this very reason, acceptance of your situation is key. A non-judgmental kind of acceptance and awareness that will help you remain gracious despite difficult situations is what is needed.

Mindfulness is as fundamental to positivity as gratitude is. In moments when it's difficult to appreciate things and find the light in the darkness, mindfulness can help us make space for healing to occur. However, gratitude will reinforce our resilience and help us practice mindfulness and take the necessary actions to tackle any problems.

My final thought.

The three mindsets, gratitude, positivity, and mindfulness, tend to improve anything they are coupled with. So, include them with a success or productivity mindset and watch your career take off. Add them to kindness and see the difference you can make in other people’s lives.

For more information on this topic, read these posts.

Mindfulness And Gratitude

The Effects Of Gratitude On Your Life And Health

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Sharing it is an act of love.

Get That Gratitude Feeling

Gram’s Wisdom 36

My Gram taught me how to get along in the world. She believed gratitude and thankfulness were the beginning of everything good. That if you were grateful for all you had and thanked others for the things they do for you, good fortune would follow.

Once, Gram told me happiness was obtained from gratitude. That was enough to convince me. I saw how happy and content she was, and I knew that was what I wanted in my life.

Gram had a positive outlook on life and saw the best in everyone, never speaking badly of anyone. She never took anyone for granted. Consequently, she had many friends of all ages.

One of the things Gram would always do when I called or visited was to tell me what she felt grateful for that day. Gram was appreciative of everything big and especially of the small. I learned from her that expressing gratitude out loud nudges others to do the same and offers a huge thank you to the universe.

Learn to speak the language of gratitude.

Practicing gratitude is an excellent habit. Gratitude holds the key to life's greatest abundance, instantly increasing positivity and happiness. Fortunately, gratitude is not something you are born with or without — and that is wonderful — because nearly everyone has a shot at unlocking gratitude's limitless abundance and joy.

Grateful people speak a language that includes words like blessings, abundance, givers, good fortune, and gifts. They concentrate on what others have done for them, rather than on what they do for others.

With more practice, gratitude is something anyone can grow, and it makes life better in so many ways. However, that doesn't mean it will be simple or easy to do, especially for people who are not familiar with speaking the language of gratitude.

Are you lacking gratitude?

According to Albert Einstein, "there are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Let's classify the former as a complainer and the latter as a grateful person. Since gratitude is a mindset, a complainer has a negative mindset whereas one who is grateful has a positive mindset. Regardless of who you are your go-to responses direct your life in so many ways.

People who complain, instinctively criticize, see multiple reasons why something won't work, are overly preoccupied with the lives of other people, tend to feel envy, easily feel sad, blame others, and often feel angry and frustrated.

How to be grateful in life.

Grateful people, genuinely feel happier with their lives no matter how small or simple a blessing is; they are sensitive to recognizing the good things around them. Because they are predisposed to feel gratitude, they are also more positive, appreciative, have better relationships and connections with others, do not need flashy things to feel good, and are generally more resilient when challenges arise.

There's a big difference in the way people who complain vs. people who are grateful think and behave. That is where cultivating gratitude becomes very important. Gratitude is the path to the bright side of life, whereas complaining, finding fault, making excuses, fear, and a whole range of negative emotions tend to come too easily for many of us. Humans are naturally wired with a negative bias.

The whole point of gratitude is to go beyond our naturally limited ways of thinking to unlock greater abundance, happiness, hope, and more positivity in our lives. But if you don't speak the language of a particular position, it can be very difficult to understand the people who do and speak it yourself. This is the same way with gratitude. You need to learn and practice speaking the language of thankfulness to become a more grateful person.

Here are 7 great ways to become more grateful each day:

Be present now.

Gratitude begins by being entirely present now. This simple precept means you have a strong awareness of the here and now, rather than what is gone (past) and what is yet to be (future), which causes a change in perception. From there, all your senses can appreciate and see everything more clearly, unhindered by worries about what is yet to be and negative emotions about what is already gone.

A gratitude journal can rewire your brain.

Maintaining a gratitude writing habit in a journal keeps the momentum of gratitude going. Having a journal to write your gratitude list every day or as often and consistently as possible rewires your brain, making you more prone to gratefulness.

List what you are grateful for daily.

If you have already begun a gratitude journal, writing letters of gratitude or a simple gratitude list every day can boost the momentum. According to research, it takes just 8 weeks of consistent gratitude practice to begin realizing the benefits of gratitude training and rewire the pattern of your brain to be more prone towards gratitude and positivity.

Begin your day with a goal to be grateful.

Being deliberate is always key, and such is the case with gratitude, too. Begin each day with the correct mindset; find at least one thing you're grateful for and focus on that. Write it down, keep it with you, and let your grateful thoughts permeate your consciousness throughout the day.

Look at the world from a new perspective.

A crucial step to being more appreciative is learning to live out of your bubble. Look for different perspectives. Get creative and move out of your comfort zone. Meet and mingle with people from a different group than you're accustomed to. Learning new perspectives will open your mind to seeing things and people differently and valuing what you have more.

Walk in another’s shoes.

Putting yourself in another person's shoes leaves you with a changed viewpoint, so you're able to see life differently, more clearly, and hopefully, better.

Find gratitude in hard times.

"It takes sadness to know happiness," according to one famous quote. Forgetfulness is one of the main reasons why people are not as grateful as they should be. Oftentimes, people forget those who helped them through obstacles; other times, people forget, or never learned, the lessons behind a difficult journey.

Remembering the hardships that you went through and how you overcame them causes you to appreciate what you have at present better. This helps you become a more grateful and humble person.

My final thought:

Don’t save your gratitude just for the big things that occur in your life. If you want to be truly grateful, don’t be picky. There is nothing too insignificant to be thankful for. You should appreciate everything, from your health to morning coffee and the birds who freely sing their gratitude.

For more information, read these posts:

13 Ways to Be Grateful for What You Have

What Are You Feeling Grateful for Today

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, please share it with someone you love.

Create A Gratitude Mindset Habit

Seek gratitude-filled moments

I believe a gratitude mindset is the most important one and all good things flow from it. For many years, I have made looking for gratitude within any situation one of my primary habits. But it wasn’t always this way. Like most people, I believed what happens is either good or bad, and you felt grateful for what is good. Consequently, I was in pursuit of the good, the nice, and the safe to feel grateful for.

Quite by accident, my young daughter was bitten on her face by a dog. The surgeon told me how grateful I should feel, the bite had missed her eyes and she could still see. He also said her major facial nerves were intact, and she would be able to smile once she had healed.

I was certainly grateful to that doctor; I appreciated the years he had trained to be a surgeon, how gently he treated my two-year-old, and how he allayed my fears. But, even more, I was thankful for the reminder to be aware that there are things we can be grateful for in the worst circumstances.  

How your gratitude was first introduced as a habit

Most of us have been taught something about gratitude early in life. From the time we become social beings, at age three or four, we're conditioned to say, "please and thank you" along with other words like "sorry" and "excuse me" by our elders, parents, and teachers at home and in school. Thank you — just two simple words that have been so recognizable since childhood, but they are the first expression of gratitude we are taught, and its meaning goes beyond simple politeness.

Gratitude holds real power

Gratitude is an exceptional habit to develop because of the limitless positive benefits associated with it. Living a positive life, which is so important, is associated with the attitude of gratitude. There are many scientific studies conducted on gratitude and there's no doubt how enormously powerful its benefits are.

However, it takes understanding and learning what the concept means to practice it effectively.

Gratitude is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Eventually, regularly practicing gratitude will help you turn it into a habit. Fortunately, gratitude is not an innate trait that you either have or you don't. That's a good thing because it means you can improve it the more you practice it.

Cultivate a singular gratitude habit

There are many ways to create a habit of gratitude. However, there is one very simple and powerful thing you can use to cultivate gratitude and turn it into a habit. It’s so simple that many people overlook it, yet it will do more to create and preserve an attitude of gratitude than anything else.

Acknowledge one thing that you are grateful for. And do it daily. Consistency is the key.

Acknowledge the good people and the good things in your life. Whether you are expressing yourself verbally to a loved one and telling them how grateful you are for their presence in your life, or you're quietly writing your gratitude list down in your private journal, the key to gratitude is simply expressing it. Express your gratitude by any means and do it daily.

Creating a good habit, a good mindset, as we all know, isn’t easy, but it’s worthwhile. Cultivating gratitude as a habit may be especially challenging when 'expressing gratitude,' 'saying thank you,' and simple 'gestures of appreciation' are unfamiliar to you.

Being unaware of the goodness around you

Many people today find it so easy to complain but impossible to appreciate anything and to express appreciation. It can be toxic, not only to other people you are directing your complaints to but, more importantly, to yourself. Negative thinking is toxic to your wellbeing as it leaves you blind and unable to see the good in most situations.

People who consistently complain are naturally drawn to negativity, but they are also resistant to accepting good things. It's like a curse that leaves you positivity resistant. You think, “why bother, I never get any breaks.” When people complain, they are essentially thinking negatively. It can be harmful as we know how negative thoughts lead to more stress, worrying, and anxiety.

A complaining habit mixes well with many negative emotions, such as feeling sad, anxious, and depressed. Complaints may appear natural and harmless, a common human reaction. However, most people realize that by doing so, they are magnifying negativity and readily creating more problems in their lives.

Here are powerful ways to develop a habit of gratitude.

Teach your brain to be grateful

Your subconscious mind directs 95% of your actions and thoughts. To create a habit, you need to plant it on a subconscious level. This is where the reticular activating system comes into play.

The reticular activating system (RAS) is the door through which nearly all information enters the brain. The RAS filters the incoming information affecting what you pay attention to.

You can teach your brain to consciously be more grateful by actively looking for things that make you feel gratitude. It will seem difficult at first if it's not natural for your brain to react that way.

Your conscious mind is doing most of the heavy lifting at this point; you are learning a new skill. But with consistent practice, it should only take a few weeks for your brain to recalibrate itself and adapt to your new perspective, which is gratitude.

Promoting positivity using helpful tools

A gratitude journal can balance out your natural bias towards negativity by shifting to a positive perspective. That's why it is a powerful tool you can use to establish a new gratitude habit. Create gratitude lists daily. Reading positive books, gratitude quotes, and affirmations will also help increase your gratitude awareness.

Connect with Other People

Gratitude is a social emotion. Dr. Robert Emmons, a leading researcher on Gratitude, says that "people are more likely to feel grateful when they put their focus on others, rather than getting caught up in their own inner narratives about how things should have gone. Empathy for others can trigger a sense of gratitude."



My final thought

I often think of the words by Anaïs Nin; “We see things not as they are, but as we are.” If we live negatively, that is what we’ll see, but if we see things in a positive light, we’ll have much to be grateful for.

For more information, read these posts.

Creating Habits Of Gratitude

Cultivating Your Gratitude Then Practice Daily

Thank you for reading this post, Please share it with someone you love.

How To Create A Gratitude Journal That Truly Works

If you want anything to work long term, you must make it part of your daily pattern, and journaling is no different. I suggest keeping it simple with these three tips.

1 | Choose a time of day when you aren’t feeling rushed to write.

2 | Pen and notebook.

3 | Music, a nice view, anything that elicits your feelings.

You might believe that starting and making regular entries into a gratitude journal just takes up time when you have so many other things to do in your day. But like any new habit, once you become accustomed to making entries in your gratitude journal it becomes easier as time goes by.

When you take on anything new in your already hectic life you need to know if it will be worthwhile to you in the long run. But before I explain some of the more important benefits of keeping a gratitude journal let’s back up and explore the details in the above three tips about its creation.

Is it easy to begin a gratitude journal?

When is the best time of day to write?

The best time is when you have time. It can be the time when your day has the least distractions or is at its quietest. This is your choice. The goal here is to write when you aren’t in a hurry. You will want to go from “I am grateful for today” to “thank you for the home that shelters my family, filled with fun and laughter.” You want to strive for specifics and details over time.

Must I use a pen and paper?

Use what suits your style. There is no right or wrong way to keep your journal. Pretty colored pens and notebooks or a speech to text app on your phone work equally well. The key point is having a record of your gratitude you can return to on a regular basis. The ability to refer back will help you gauge whether your expressions of gratitude are in actuality giving you more to be grateful for.

Feeling your gratitude

This is the place you choose to sit and write. It is also the space in your heart that you write from. I have a place by a favorite window with a lovely view where I sit every morning to write. The moment I sit down I feel peaceful and grateful, and the words just flow. Your space can be improved by listening to music, lighting candles, or anything that lifts your spirit.

As promised here are some benefits of having a gratitude journal:

Do you exhibit an attitude of gratitude?

Appreciation for what you have

Happiness is a state of mind and the way that you think about your life determines whether you’ll be happy most of the time or not. If your neighbor has just taken delivery of a new car and you don’t have the money to buy a new car does this make you poor?

In some people’s minds, it does. But this is ridiculous. You aren’t poor you just think that this is the case. The answer to this kind of thinking is to be grateful for what you have in your life right now.

Think about the people and things that you have. You have an older car, but it reliably gets you to work every day and provides safe transportation for all the family. Be grateful that you have this. You have a wonderful partner and a healthy family that you wouldn’t change for anything in the world so be grateful for this as well.

Always remember that there are many things that you can be grateful for. It doesn’t matter how large or small these things are. If you adopt an attitude of gratitude, like this, you will be much happier in your life.

Be more positive

There is something powerful about writing things down–nobody fully understands this, but it seems that you are making a larger commitment when you put pen to paper. After a while of writing down the things that you are grateful for in your life and the reasons why it will provide you with a much more positive outlook on life.

When you are focused on the good things about your life, then you are not experiencing negative thoughts that have the opposite effect. The fact that you write down what you appreciate solidifies how you feel about your life. Positivity will bring you the things that you want in your life while negativity can take them away from you.

Boost your confidence

People who have low self-confidence tend to focus on the negative and this leads to having a low opinion of yourself. When you express your gratitude for the people and things in your life this has the opposite effect giving you a confidence boost making you feel good about yourself.

By expressing gratitude regularly, you are less likely to compare yourself unfavorably to others. Writing down what you are grateful for will also reduce any feelings of jealousy or resentment that you may harbor.

Reduce your stress

Having a gratitude journal will help you to relieve stress. While you cannot avoid stress altogether, an attitude of gratitude will help you to deal with it more effectively and your gratitude journal will support this.

My final thought

For many, many years I verbalized my gratitude. It’s what my Gram taught me. But about three years ago I began keeping a gratitude journal. After a couple of months, I noticed I felt a deeper sense of peace in my life. Another thing was that on difficult days I write lengthier descriptions of what I’m grateful for. I believe they go hand in hand.

I would love to hear what kind of gratitude practice you have.