Three final thoughts on Gratitude this month….
First, seeing the world (and yourself) through the lens of gratitude is a choice. No one can force it on you, no one can take it away from you. In every situation, in every moment, you get to choose whether to react gratefully… or not.
Second, there are a lot of benefits of behaving gratefully. People who live out gratitude more fully:
- report higher levels of life satisfaction, optimism, vitality, patience, connection with others, and lower levels of depression and stress. In short, gratitude helps your attitude.
- show the capacity to be empathetic and take the perspective of others. And, they are thought to be more generous and helpful by their friends. Which means you’ll have more of them.
- place less importance on ‘things’, share more often, and show lower levels of jealousy towards others. Certainly helps with the accumulation of and connection with friends, doesn’t it?
Third and finally, gratitude leads to joy. And not just for yourself. When you express your gratitude towards others, you are giving them a gift, one that is both easier to give and more powerful than you think.
Remember…
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
Y’all have a great-full week!
