We all want to be happy, don’t we? But what does it means to be happy? And how can we be happy without overthinking it? Gratitude can lead to happiness, and I will tell you all about it in today’s post!
Ready? Let’s dive in!
To every one of us, happiness will mean something different. What does it mean to you?
Often we believe we need to be doing it all or having it all to be happy. We spend our entire life trying to be happy or searching for it in the wrong place. Wondering – what can we do to live a happier life?
One of the easiest ways to find happiness and live your life to the fullest is practicing gratitude.
Here’s how.
How Gratitude Can Lead To happiness
Living a life full of gratification has proven to add many benefits to life. From enjoying healthy relationships to having a successful career that aligns with your heart and soul. To helping you developed an attitude of appreciation for life. And being grateful for what we have in the present rather than wanting more and comparing what we have to what others have.
As Theodore Roosevelt righteously said, “comparison is the thief of joy.” Yet, we dedicate a lot of our time and energy to comparing ourselves to others.
When we live a life full of gratification, we live in the present. We appreciate the things we have in the now. We feel a sense of abundance rather than lack. And this feeling of abundance is what allows us to thrive. It’s this feeling of abundance that makes us feel good, and when we feel good – we give out that high energetic vibrations that allow us to attract amazing things into our lives.
When we feel good – we are nicer to ourselves as well as others. Gratification allows us to treat others with respect and acceptance. It allows us to be thoughtful towards others. And this thoughtfulness is what helps us to develop and maintain healthier relationships with those around us. These relationships that gratitude allows us to create bring so much joy, love, companionship, and happiness into our lives.
Gratitude can lead to happiness by allowing us to have a positive view of our life. When we can take a moment to pause and reflect on the many blessings we have in our lives, we will recognize how fortunate and blessed we are to be who we are and have what we have regardless of how little or how much we have. Gratitude teaches us to be contented in life. And when we feel content in life, it’s reflected in our attitude towards living a life full of grace.
Cultivating a gratitude practice can even help you sleep better at night. Sounds too good to be true, right? But, seriously it can!
What keeps you up at night? Why do you toss, turn and struggle to fall asleep? Chances are you are either:
- worried about something that took place during the day
- you feel inferior to others
- finances
- health reasons
- too much is going on in your mind
Practicing gratification will give you a more optimistic outlook on life. It will help you to foster an abundance mindset which will allow you to attract more and feel good. You will feel less stress and approach life with ease achieving more out of life. Which will allow you to stop worrying and start embracing life. As such, gratification will allow you to enjoy better sleep at night.
10 Ways To Practice Gratitude
Do you want to enjoy a life of abundance, happiness, and good health? Do you want to be present at the moment and live life to its fullest? Show up and be the healthiest version of YOU?
Yes, yes, and yes!
I’m psyched you’ve answered yes to all three questions.
Here are 10 ways you can practice gratification so you can live a happier life.
1. Express gratification as you wake up
Many times when we wake up in the mornings we rush off to getting things done. And why not?! We all have such hectic lifestyles! But taking a few seconds to say thank you immediately after you wake can be the perfect start to having one amazing day. When you whisper the words, “thank you” as you wake, you are sending out strong vibrations to the universe that you feel blessed to be allowed to see another day. And you take that blessed feeling with you throughout your day.
2. Be grateful for your meals and drinks
As you take a sip of water and a bite of your food. Give thanks for the meal and drink you are about to have, Think of the many people who are responsible for the drink and food that you are consuming. From the farmers to the production and factory workers to the cashier to the person responsible for getting you these foods.
3. Think of someone who has supported you through a tough time in life
We’ve all been through trying times. Haven’t we? Do you think you could have gotten through these times all alone? Maybe you did. And kudos to you! But many times, we got support from a dear friend, our parents, spouses, or that random person at the train station or bus stop. We can practice gratification by reflecting on these times and thinking of those who helped us and feel into those feelings of gratification. Be thankful for those who have helped you in the past and appreciate what they’ve done for you. Because they played such an important role in your life during those uncertain times.
4. Appreciate how far you’ve come in life
Gratitude can lead to happiness when you appreciate how far you’ve come in life.
The majority of us are not trust fund babies. We’ve definitely been through a lot in life. When we focus on our growth and how far we’ve come rather than how far we still have to go and what we still need to accomplish to feel successful. We can recognize our many blessings in life. This awareness will help us to feel happier, stronger, and more confident in life.
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5. Avoid complaining
There’s not enough time in my day. I’m too tired. I have to take the kids to soccer, I won’t be able to commit to it. I’m not qualified to apply for that job. We need a change in government. I hate my job! I wish my spouse was more supportive.
Do any of these sound familiar to you? How often do you complain throughout your day?
Instead of complaining about what’s going wrong in your life, embrace all the good things that are happening in your life. When you finally stop complaining and begin to focus on all the good things that are happening in your life (and there’s a lot, just look around you) – you begin to feel good, and this good feeling is what brings more happiness into your life.
6. Before going to bed, reflect on what you are most grateful for during your day
As you lay down to sleep, reflect on your day and express gratification for the best thing that, happened to you throughout your day. It could be as simple as being grateful for the much-needed conversation that you had with your best friend or your child saying something beautiful to you.
7. See good in everyone
I know this can be difficult at times, but you don’t have to let it be. Avoid getting caught up in gossips and the naysay. And instead, be welcoming to everyone. Accept that everyone is beautiful and unique in their own ways and have a beautiful gift to offer to the world. Welcome diversity and spread love, not bitterness or hate.
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8. Keep a gratitude journal or jar and add to it daily
I have been using a gratitude journal for the last few years and still do to this day. It’s one of my most favorite ways to express gratification for my many blessings in life. And so can you!
You can use either a gratitude journal or a gratitude jar and list what you’ve been grateful for within the last 24 hours. Let this become a daily practice and at the end of the week go through your list and give thanks for everything once more.
I use the 5 minutes a day for more happiness journal and love it so much! It’s a simple practice that allows us to manifest more happiness in our lives.
9. See positive in a negative situation
Gratitude can lead to happiness when we can take a negative situation and turn it into a positive one. Instead of asking yourself, “why this is happening to me?” Ask yourself – what lesson can I learn from this? How can I grow through this situation?
Have the courage to find a solution for every negative situation and turn it into a positive story. There’s a lesson to be learned in every situation that comes our way. Always look for the silver lining.
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10. Spend quality time with your loved ones (especially your adorable kiddos)
Spending time with the ones you love can bring so much joy and happiness to you. It’s so therapeutic! Yet, we avoid doing it.
Take some time away from everything that’s happening and spend time with those you love. Savor the moment and enjoy every bit of it. Choose quality time with your family over the “rat race” kind of life.
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What you appreciate will expand! Value the things that mean the most to you and express gratification for them as often as you can. Grateful people tend to be happier, more fulfilled, and healthier. They live their best life and you can experience the same happiness by cultivating a gratitude practice.
As usual, leave me a comment below sharing your biggest takeaways. And if you know someone who would find this blog post helpful – please share with them.
Pssst. Grab yourself a copy of my e-book today. Six steps to embracing your purpose. It’s free!
I’ve been wanting to start a gratification journal. My friend writes in hers daily and it has seemed to really bring her a lot of peace and joy. I could use some of that!
It sure does, Monica. I’m sure once you start your gratification journal, there will be no turning back. You would love it!
I love this post. I agree that being thankful for everything really gives you happiness to your heart.
So much happiness, Gervin. Thank you for your comment:-)
totally love these tips.. while i have them in mind, i need to apply a couple of them, especially the gratitude jar in action so it will have a more stronger impact
I’m glad you enjoy reading this post, Vidya! Yes to the gratitude jar:-)
I completely agree with this. Being grateful can shine a different light in how you view things.
Yes, Danielle. Being grateful allows us to see things from a different perspective.