Practicing gratitude can cause a sizable and positive shift in how you view life. The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, better health, a higher sense of well-being, and even a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

While we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. It’s more “natural” for us to notice the negative and not the positive. We tend to focus on what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it should be more than a word we speak about every Thanksgiving season. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit of seeing the good on purpose. And that can take some time…and practice.

Practicing Gratitude by Thanking God

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. We develop an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope. Gratitude helps us to see the love of God being expressed in so many ways in our lives.

Some of the things I’m grateful for today: family, God’s promises of good health, clean water, my body and mind working well, friends who listen and really care, chocolate, fresh food, the ability to touch YOUR life through my writing, spring weather, butterflies, and so much more!

What’s on your list?

Tell me one thing you’re grateful for today! 🙂