“When you are thankful for what you have, you will end up having more.” – Oprah Winfrey
Did you know that learning how to practice gratitude is one of the fastest ways you can transform your life? While it’s easy to get distracted with outside forces such as a stressful job, difficult coworkers, financial burdens, and unhealthy lifestyles, gratitude is an inner force that can change everything. It can turn your stressful job into a fulfilling job and can make your coworkers more enjoyable to work with. Gratitude can even transform your financial health as well as your physical health.
How is it that something internal can actually change these external circumstances? Jim Rohn said it best:
“When you change, the things around you change.”
So much of what is in our lives is outside of our control. While you can’t control your coworkers’ personalities or how much gas costs, you can control the level of gratitude you practice on a daily basis.
Here are three of the countless ways that learning how to practice gratitude can transform your life:
1. Gratitude makes people like you more.
The growth of your career is largely dependent upon your relationships with others. If you are a project manager, motivating your team to complete quality work on time can seem like a struggle at times. However, being grateful for the team you have and the work they are doing will only give them the additional drive to go above and beyond on your next project.
No one enjoys being around negative people. Even little snide remarks or sarcastic complaining about what you do not have gives off a negative energy to those around you. Over time, it can turn you into one of those “energy vampires” that successful people avoid like the plague.
The next time you find yourself feeling ungrateful, find what you ARE grateful for, however small. The energy of gratitude will continue to expand and ultimately turn you into a magnet that people love to be around, work with, and help. This means more opportunities, a more valuable professional network, and a more fulfilling career.
2. Gratitude is an instant stress reducer.
Overwhelmed with your job, kids, bills, significant other, house, the holidays, and more? It’s easy to get frazzled with everything going on around us if we don’t take the time to stop to reflect on how grateful we are for what we have.
Think about everything you are currently stressed about. Now what if you didn’t actually have those things? No job, no kids, no power, no water, no significant other, no house, no one to spend the holidays with…kind of changes things, doesn’t it?
It’s important to understand that gratitude isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a practice that becomes a habit fairly quickly. The more you make gratitude a habit, the more enjoyable your life experience will be.
The next time you find yourself lying awake in bed while thinking stressful thoughts, realize that you don’t have to entertain those thoughts. Rather, you can learn how to practice gratitude and change your thoughts. See what a difference in makes in your sleep, and make this a nightly habit.
At the end of every day, create a mental list of three things you were grateful for that day. Think about those things as you drift off to sleep. You will find yourself more relaxed, more well-rested, and more excited to start the next day.
3. Gratitude makes you look good.
Yep! You read it right. Gratitude actually affects your physical appearance. I’m sure you’ve encountered someone out and about and thought, Wow, that person looks like they are in a terrible mood. I definitely don’t want to engage them in a conversation. They might bite my head off!
The thoughts you have internally always manifest externally, whether you like it or not. Being grateful changes your facial expressions and gives off a positive energy that people want to be around.
Get more inspiration here with 40 inspiring motivational quotes.
Not sure how to create your own attitude of gratitude? Let’s talk about it. Simply schedule a free consultation today, and let’s discover everything you really do have going for you!