{"id":203029,"date":"2020-02-11T21:42:21","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T02:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/?p=203029"},"modified":"2020-05-07T17:36:47","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T21:36:47","slug":"accessing-the-power-of-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/2020\/02\/11\/accessing-the-power-of-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessing the Power of Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude\u2019s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work<\/a>, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while we\nmay acknowledge gratitude\u2019s many benefits, it still can be difficult to\nsustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking\nin our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our\nlives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn\na new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why practicing<\/em>\ngratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have,\ninstead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see\nall of life as an opportunity and a blessing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that\ngratitude isn\u2019t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life\nare whitewashed or ignored. It\u2019s more a matter of where we put our focus and\nattention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts\nof life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us\nhope. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are\nmany things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends\nwho listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the\nability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What\u2019s on your list? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some Ways to Practice the Law of Gratitude <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022  Keep a gratitude journal in which you list\nthings for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists.\nGreater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that\njournal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022  Make a gratitude collage by drawing or\npasting pictures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022  Practice gratitude around the dinner table or\nmake it part of your nighttime routine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022  Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in\na challenging situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022  When you feel like complaining, make a\ngratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022  Notice how gratitude is impacting your life.\nWrite about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lead your day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Charlene Day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to use gratitude to find happiness and help your journey to personal success. The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-203029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203029"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203195,"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203029\/revisions\/203195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metroactive.org\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}