Begin Your Day With Gratitude

Written By Sheila M

Communications and Personal Development Practitioner who is passionate about helping clients change self-defeating behaviors to experience fulfilling and happy personal and professional relationships.

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Happiness Challenge

Gratitude is all about appreciating the good things in our lives. If your life is anything like mine, the pursuit of slowing down, living in the moment, and “seeing the flowers” is more challenging than I care to admit. Understanding its importance, especially as a foundation of my relationship with God, I prioritize gratitude versus disappointment. Adapting becomes easier as I remain optimistic, always looking for opportunities to see something positive despite the situation. There are obviously times when there is no hope…I own it regroup and move on. 🙂 Thinking about all the things we have to be grateful for is a great way to start your day. Practicing being grateful makes us focus on all the good and pleasant things in our lives, which improves our overall happiness.

In other words, spending a few minutes early in the morning thinking about what we are grateful for can improve our mood and our feeling of being happy for the entire day. That’s something well worth perusing and you don’t have to spend a lot of time on it.

As you wake up or while sitting at your kitchen table sipping your first cup of coffee, think about all the things and people you are thankful and grateful for. Focus your mind on anything positive that has happened the day before or that you anticipate happening today. You can be thankful for the smallest of things. I wake up grateful that I have a warm and comfortable bed to sleep in and of course, I’m always grateful for a strong cup of coffee that helps me wake up and get ready for my busy day. Think about the people in your life that you are grateful for, including your parents, grandparents, spouse or significant other, children, friends, colleagues, a boss that gives you a job. Try to find something good about all the important people in your life.

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Another option is to just look around you. Look at your sunny kitchen or the trees and birds that you can see outside your window. No matter what your living situation is right now, I’m sure you can think of things about it you are grateful for, even if it isn’t your ideal living space.

Make this grateful exercise part of your morning ritual. Focusing on it and practicing it at roughly the same time each morning and, if possible, in a similar setting will help you form a habit. And that’s the goal for the long run. You want to practice being grateful effortlessly and without having to think about it. Getting to that point alone will have a huge impact on how happy and content you feel from here on out. Give it a try for a few weeks and note how your mental outlook changes by simply adding this little exercise of gratitude in the mornings. Before long, you will do it automatically and won’t want to miss this opportunity to acknowledge all the good things in your life.

Want to increase your challenge results? Get the Happiness Challenge Journal and Workbook.

30-Day Happiness Challenge Journal & Workbook

The 30-Day Happiness Challenge Journal and Workbook is a supplement to the FREE 30-Day Happiness Challenge. Click => 30 Day Happiness Challenge if you haven’t signed up yet. :-).

Use the fillable PDF Journal to respond to Challenge prompts, record your thoughts and develop a success plan. Each two-page daily challenge is filled with prompts and calls to action that provide an opportunity to develop a new mindset, incorporate change in your daily activities, follow a process to achieve your goals, and keep you on track and organized.

Ultimately, your transformation is a direct result of your investment in yourself. Change is not easy, rarely happens overnight, and will be challenged – so believing you deserve a better life is imperative to keep you motivated to achieve your goals. Whatever chapter of your life you are in, you write the next one… so make it a great one by working on yourself and pursuing your desires to live a passionate, purpose-driven, and happy life.

Beyond the FREE Happiness Challenge and supplemental Journal and Workbook, we are here to support you and grow as a community. Connect with us in the Happiness Challenge Facebook Group to connect with like-minded individuals seeking to change what isn’t working to achieve a happy, purpose-driven, and fulfilled life.