why daily gratitude is so important
“The whole process of mental adjustment and attunement can be summed up in one word: gratitude.”
— Wallace Wattles, The Science of Getting Rich
If you have been following my work, you probably already know how much I value making a list of things that you feel grateful for every morning. A daily practice of writing down five (or more) things that you’re grateful for can help you feel lighter and happier because it shifts your focus from the negative thoughts, feelings and emotions within you and drives your attention to things and people that are positive and uplifting.
We all go through challenges and stresses of everyday life — lack of money, relationship issues, health problems, work tensions, business setbacks — that, if we’re not careful, can easily dominate our thoughts and attitudes, and hence our outcomes.
What we focus on expands. When we focus on problems and challenges day by day, guess what? We feed them energy and they grow even further. However, if we pull back and make the “mental adjustment” that Wallace Wattles talks about by practicing daily gratitude, we start spending time thinking about things that are going well and that we want more of instead of looking at things that are not going well and that we don’t want.
Daily gratitude is a powerful antidote to the everyday negativity that brews within us consciously or unconsciously. Whenever you feel anxious, stressed or overwhelmed, make deliberate efforts to disconnect from the problems or issues at hand, and start thinking about things that you’re grateful for. It can be as simple as having a nice cup of joe and being grateful for it, or thinking about your baby niece or nephew. In that way, you’ll be able to Iron Man-snap the challenges, stresses and setbacks that are bothering you.
You will experience a change in perception and be able to look at the problem you’re facing with objectivity and hope. As Wayne Dyer said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
Like all other things that you’re trying to improve yourself in, you won’t see instant results in the beginning, but as you keep practicing this wonderful habit every single day, the Compound Effect will kick in and you’ll gather incredible momentum after several weeks and months. As you focus on the positives again and again, you’ll get yourself in the upward spiral and cast a protective shield around you that’ll help you remain positive and inspired, and thrive even when you find yourself in the midst of a crisis or adversity.
Everything in your life — health, wealth, success, happiness, love, abundance, peace, joy — is directly impacted by how you think and feel about yourself and your life. Give it a try; it might make a lasting difference in your life and help you get on the right path if you’re struggling at the moment.
PS: November is here and thankfulness is in the air! Practicing gratitude is not only a great way to incorporate mindfulness and awareness into our daily routine, but it also acts as a form of self-care and reorients us back to our humanness.
I’ve set up the 21-Day Karma Yogi Gratitude Challenge to help you just do that. To bring back gratitude in your life. To help you embrace positivity and start looking at things from a whole new perspective. To help you become a better version of yourself.
This challenge comprises 21 original and all-new actionable exercises to be implemented at a pace of one per day. They have been designed to eliminate negativity, frustration, anxiety, and restlessness, and help you bring a sense of gratitude and appreciation to your life.
I invite you to join me on this journey. It will not only help you become a better version of yourself but also unlock the success and abundance that you desire in your life.