Imagine going through your day to day life filled with all the usual responsibilities and challenges, you’d probably have plenty of resentment accumulated in your mind.
What if I tell you there’s one simple way to make you happier every day? Not possible, you say?
It turns out there is indeed one simple practice that can make you happier even when your circumstances are still the same.
I’m talking about starting a gratitude journal.
This might sound silly to you, but it’s really not.
Keep reading to see all the compelling evidence that shows how practicing gratitude can really change your life for the better.
Why Gratitude Matters To You
Whenever there’s a grateful moment, I note it. I know for sure that appreciating whatever shows up for you in life changes your personal vibration. You radiate and generate more goodness for yourself when you’re aware of all you have and not focusing on your have-nots. — Oprah
A Gallup world poll has shown that 85% percent of people reported being disengaged at their jobs.[1] Many of them hate their jobs and especially their bosses.
To add to this, 1 in 6 Americans are on some form of psychiatric medication.[2]Antidepressants are the most common type followed by anti-anxiety medications.
There’s no denying that people are unhappy.
You may be wondering how you can feel grateful especially when your situation might be legitimately bad. It may not be easy, but don’t lose hope because it’s definitely possible. Here’s the good news:
Gratitude is a skill anyone can develop.
All it takes is a bit of daily practice.
It’s the one thing that will help you become happier even if crappy circumstances you may be in haven’t changed yet.
Monk and interfaith scholar, David Steindl-Rast, says the following about gratitude in his TED Talk:
Is it really the happy people that are grateful? We all know quite a number of people who have everything that it would take to be happy, and they are not happy, because they want something else or they want more of the same. And we all know people who have lots of misfortune, misfortune that we ourselves would not want to have, and they are deeply happy. They radiate happiness. You are surprised. Why? Because they are grateful. If you think it’s happiness that makes you grateful, think again. It’s gratefulness that makes you happy.
