The Power of Gratitude

This is my first story on Vocal so if you are reading this, thank you and I hope it finds you well!

The Power of Gratitude is the first segment of a series called DeLiberate Life that I will be posting here exclusively on Vocal! DeLiberate Life is a phrase I coined that means to deliberately liberate your life! When you break that down, it means you are consciously and actively making decisions that will lead to a life that you feel liberated by. To free yourself from the prison of your mind and have the power to live out a life that is filled with love, a fiery passion, and joy within everything you do. I do not say this as if it is a fantasy or something that seems too cliché to be real. I say it as a certainty. I know this because I am living that life and have helped others achieve it.

The DeLiberate Life series will consist of tools or stories that will give you a new perspective and include techniques for you to apply it to your own life.

Gratitude can be expressed and felt in an infinite number of ways. What happens so often within our American lifestyle is that we take things for granted and unfortunately, we realize this when something specific happens that reminds us what we should be grateful for. But it should not take an event to help us realize what we are grateful for, I believe that we have the ability to actively show gratitude every day. It is a practice like anything else. Gratitude is an extremely powerful expression that can uplift moods and alter our emotional state. Gratitude brings more positivity into your mindset while also creating a palpable energy that flows through you and out to those around you.

Try incorporating each of the following into your daily life:

1. When you are eating something, focus on the food in every way you can. Feel the texture, temperature, taste, where it came from, how it was prepared, and take all of that in. We are always on the go, looking at our phones, or watching tv while eating. This creates a habit of taking our food sources for granted.

2. Embrace the nature around you. I want you to really feel it! Let the warmth of the sun hit your face, walk barefoot, try gardening, go hiking, anything you have access to. If you are in the city, go buy a plant or visit a park. We are so deeply connected to all life on Earth, but that connection can feel nonexistent if we do not purposely reach out to it. It is important to ground ourselves.

3. Show gratitude to your loved ones, like you never have before. Blow them away. Make them feel out of this world special. Life moves fast so take every opportunity you can to show those we care about most how we truly feel.

4. This one could be the most powerful of them all. Give yourself the upmost gratitude. You deserve it. Be thankful for your LIFE. There is NOTHING more important than the fact you are alive. Push all emotions to the side, breathe, and love yourself. Life is magical no matter our struggles.

Journal your daily experiences for 1 week straight. Doing this will give you the ability to look back at the amazing impact it can have and how to turn it into a life-long practice!

- JG