Growing Through Gratitude

Abundance flows into your life when gratitude flows out of your heart – Jon Gordon.

Down or Up

Gratitude is an upstream action. Choosing the upstream option of gratitude year can change the incline of your heart and mind. But rowing upstream requires nisus. It means going against the tide and fighting the relentless waves intent on driving you downstream to the path of negativity. Gratitude calls for the courage to extract what is valuable from the mundane of life, like precious metals and other valuable materials extracted from the earth. This extraction of gratitude from everyday living bears the potential to give us resilience in the face of tough times. 

Gratitude calls for the courage to extract what is valuable from the mundane of life, like precious metals and other valuable materials extracted from the earth.

Growing Through Gratitude

I have made it a practice to begin and end each day with a sentence of gratitude. I also intentionally recognize and verbalize small things throughout the day for which I am grateful. Applying gratitude to my day, changes how I do things and view people. My perspective is elevated. My heart is enlarged. Self-centeredness is crushed. I discover a desire to be generous and serve others. The problems that once appeared gigantic shrink in the face of gratitude. Through the expression of gratitude, we forge deeper relationships.

Additionally, gratitude allows us to participate in life instead of being critics. Criticism can be constructive, but when it is always turned on, it leads to the toxic fumes of cynicism. Gratitude keeps at bay downstream thoughts of resentment, envy, worry, and even reduces depression. Dr. Robert Emmons, an expert on gratitude, says it “heals, energizes, and transforms lives.” On the heels of understanding the value of gratitude, how can we grow through gratitude? 

Recognize

The more we recognize opportunities to be grateful, no matter how small, the greater our potential to reap the benefits of gratitude. Dr. Alex Korb, the author of The Upward Spiral, talks about activating the gratitude circuit in our brains. According to Dr. Korb, activating this circuit  allows you to “pay more attention to the positive aspects of reality, helping you get a bigger boost from all the wonderful things in your life that are so easily overlooked.” Challenge yourself each day to intentionally look for moments that will activate your gratitude recognition circuitry and verbalize them.  

The more we recognize opportunities to be grateful, no matter how small, the greater our potential to reap the benefits of gratitude.

Verbalize

Cultivating gratitude is cemented through expression. There are multitudinous ways to verbalize or express gratitude. When someone holds the door open for you, acknowledging the gesture of kindness with a “thank you” can make an impact. Writing a thank you note and mailing it to a friend might reach them at a time when they really need it and make a difference in their life. Plus, it will make a difference in yours. Expressing appreciation to your spouse or family at the end of the day during dinner can change the atmosphere in a home. Recalling an act of kindness that someone did in the past and letting them know about it can do wonders for a friendship or relationship. After a job interview, send the interviewer a thank-you email regardless of whether you get the position. 

These acts of verbalizing gratitude will speak value into other people’s lives while at the same time refreshing your own. This synergistic benefit of gratitude makes it worth rowing upstream. 

Final Thought: This may be hard to believe, but if you are alive, you always have something for which you can be grateful. Pointing it out may be difficult at times because of the waves coming your way. By taking the oars of recognition and verbalization, you will develop the ability to row your boat upstream in gratitude. A higher quality of life is yours when you choose an attitude of gratitude. If ever you find yourself drifting in a litany of negativity, apply some gratitude. 

Keep on Keeping on!