Why Gratitude Is Something To Practice

"The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see."

- Mary Davis

A funny thing I've noticed in life is that gratitude doesn't just happen; We often need to consciously practice it to reap all its benefits. You see, gratitude is a choice. We must choose to be grateful for the things we have been given, or else we will not feel satisfied. This is why it's important to set aside some time every day to reflect on what we're grateful for.

When you practice being grateful for what you have, you will begin to see a difference in how you view the world around you and ultimately change your outlook on life. The more gratitude you practice, the more your mind will be able to focus on what's going well in your life, not what has gone wrong.

So, here are some of my thoughts that I hope may shine a little light on the subject of gratitude:

1. Start Each Day With Gratitude

"If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough."

- Oprah Winfrey

We all understand the importance of first impressions. Well, the same goes for your day too! You will always begin the day with a good first impression when you start it off with gratitude.

A simple way to start each day with gratitude is to make it part of your morning routine. This can be done in the form of a quick 2–5 minute meditation, or by writing down a list of things you are grateful for each morning in a journal you keep close by your bedside. You'll be surprised at how often the day returns the favor and makes a good first impression on you.

Of course, bad days will happen no matter how much we practice being grateful. But starting each day with gratitude guarantees that the negatives will never have complete control over your day. You will always have that moment in the morning, reminding you that there are some positive things in your life. We all must face difficult circumstances in life, but starting each day with gratitude can help us get through some of them.

2. Practicing Gratitude Leads to a Grateful Attitude

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."

- William Arthur Ward

Masks are quite fascinating things. When you wear a mask for the first time, other people, even those who know you very well, will react to you differently than before. But, if you wear that mask every day for a long enough time, you will also begin to change from the way others are reacting to your mask. You will start believing that the masked you, is part of who you are.

This also can happen with gratitude. When you practice gratitude, you will begin to project the persona or "mask" of having a grateful attitude. And if you stick to it, eventually that persona will become part of you. You will become naturally grateful.

A grateful attitude can do wonders for your mental and physical health. And it's never too late to start practicing gratitude. All it takes is a few conscious changes in your daily routine.

3. Gratitude Can Diffuse Stress for Yourself and Others

"When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears."

- Anthony Robbins

I had a customer service job on the phone for many years, and I remember one day that my boss noticed how I would quickly diffuse the tension on calls with irate customers just by expressing some gratitude. Whenever an angry customer would tell me what was wrong, the first thing I would do is thank them.

I'd say things like, "I'm so glad you called in with that problem because now we can try to help you. Please hang on while I look into what I can do for you." or if the call was mostly over, but they still wanted to express their frustration, I would say something like "Thanks for letting us know that this is what's going on with our product. Hopefully, this will help us prevent these types of things happening to yourself and others in the future."

Yes, gratitude will not fix everything. Irate customers will always be upset at either the company or the situation that made them call in the first place. But when I responded first with gratitude, it would always diffuse the situation just enough to get back to doing my job. Because it is very hard to stay angry at someone who is thanking you.

Conclusion - Every Day Is a Blessing

"Be grateful for what you already have while you pursue your goals. If you aren't grateful for what you already have, what makes you think you would be happy with more?"

- Roy T. Bennett

While I live in Japan now, I am American and lived in the USA for over 30 years of my life. According to the internet, 7,000–10,000 individuals die each day in the United States alone. And these are just the deaths that were documented.

Without practicing gratitude every day, it can be very difficult to maintain a positive outlook on life whenever we are faced with these truths about the world we live in.

But another truth about this world is that each day we are lucky enough to live through, is a precious gift with nearly unlimited possibilities. With gratitude on the mind, each day we are given is truly a gift and a blessing. Truths like these are also good to share with yourself and others.

So, what are some of the things that you are grateful for?