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What are you grateful for today?
This powerful question is the key to begin unlocking the door to a new way of experiencing your moments, hours and days before you.
The simple act of answering this question is a practice that has transformed the way I view the world before me.
Like so many people living in Western society, I lead a very full life and juggle many things on a daily basis. I am a mother, wife, writer, coach, daughter, sister, aunt, friend, volunteer and the list goes on. Sometimes my days are very full from start to finish. If I am not careful, I can begin viewing my life through the lens that things are overwhelming, too busy or just plain hard.
This is where my daily gratitude practice of counting my blessings has shifted my perspective on living a full life. These are some of many ideas you can use to prompt yourself to start answering the powerful question, "What am I grateful for today?"
1) Who are you grateful for in your life? What are some of the traits you value and cherish about the people around you?
2) When looking through your eyes, what is before you at this very moment that you are thankful for? Is it the gift of being able to see? Do you see natural beauty, or the genius of something made by another human being? What can you bring into focus and start seeing in a way that feels a little brighter?
3) What are the different roles you get to play in your life each day? What is it about each of these ways you get to show up in the world that you are grateful for?
4) What is it about who you are and the unique traits you have, that you are thankful for?
5) Who in your life could you reach out to right now and thank for being a part of your life? Having the opportunity to communicate this out to our loved ones is not to be taken for granted. Life is precious and we never know when the gift of being able to do this will no longer be within our reach. What would happen if you genuinely expressed your gratitude to your loved ones every day?
Celebrating what I love about my life on a consistent basis helps me to continue to see new reasons why life is an amazing gift. Through a daily gratitude practice, I also become clear on what truly matters and what doesn't.
Life doesn't have to be so serious, it can be a lot of fun when we allow. Gratitude has a way of helping us to see why it is a gift to be here experiencing full days, and that it is never meant to be a burden.
Adopting an attitude of gratitude helps us to be lighter in life so we can see the humor and joy in our moments. It also helps us to recognize what a gift and privilege it is to be here alive in the world.
What are you grateful for today? What blessings will you include in your daily gratitude practice?
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