the power of gratitude.

Gratitude is something that I’ve had to learn in pieces. It can be difficult to be grateful when you have negative thoughts constantly or don’t feel your best. Having gratitude in your life can cultivate self love in ways that you may not be aware of until you include it in your routine. 

One year for Christmas I received a gratitude journal for women. I didn’t use it at first, and sometimes I still have trouble taking the time out of my day to think of ways I’m grateful. But this journal started my knowledge of the importance of taking note of gratitude and the positive outcomes that can come out of it.

And during this time of the year especially, I like to remind myself of how grateful and blessed I am to live the life I do and be the person I am. 

There are so many flaws I have within myself and so many things that I wish I could change. But those flaws and imperfections make me the person that I am, and I wouldn’t want to change that for anything. It’s sometimes difficult to accept myself and everything that comes with being me. But I’m grateful to love myself enough to not want to be anyone else. And I’m grateful that I can explore the power of appreciation of the little things to further my self love journey. 

As I look for ways to further foster my love for myself, I’ll share some tips on how to practice gratitude in our everyday lives, create an attitude of appreciation and foster a culture of self-love to hopefully help us both improve the gratitude and love we have for ourselves. 

Keep a gratitude journal. 

A gratitude journal is a great way to write down things you’re grateful for or write off prompts that explore the power of gratitude. I don’t know about you, but I’m personally a person who feels like when I put something in writing, I put it in stone or make it more official. Taking a few minutes out of your day or dedicating a little bit of your morning or evening to write a couple things that you’re grateful for on that day or in general can truly change your mindset. 

Find gratitude in your challenges. 

No one wants to go through challenges or negative things in their life, but that’s the way we grow as humans, if we use them to learn and level up. It’s easy to focus on what went wrong in a situation and reminisce on that, but what’s not so easy is finding something you’re grateful for in a bad situation. 

Maybe the challenge helped you grow. Maybe it led you to meet someone who is an important part of your life now. Maybe you learned a valuable skill that you can take advantage of and use in the next step of your career. Or maybe it just taught you a lesson that you can use to make sure you’re never in that position again. Whatever it is, finding something that you’re grateful for in the mess will create a deeper attitude of appreciation in your life. 

Acknowledge the things that you used to hope and pray for. 

This one’s a fun one. There’s something about realizing that certain things in your life are what you used to hope and pray and dream of. Personally, I am in a career that I wanted for the past five years. I’m in a city that I used to dream of being in since college. Is everything perfect? Absolutely not. Do I have problems with my job and the place I live? Unfortunately yeah. But I used to want to be in this position so badly, and I’m grateful that I get to experience some of the things I prayed for.

Now, I know hopes and dreams can change. Or reality can be different than what you thought it’d be. But isn’t it amazing that you get the chance to decide if it’s everything that you thought it would be? Isn’t it amazing that you get to experience what you used to hope and pray for instead of still wondering what it’d be like to have that job, to have that car, to be in a new city, to have new friendships, to have a better relationship, to experience whatever you hoped and prayed for. 

Be vocal about telling people that you’re grateful for them or something they did. 

Tell the people who you are grateful for how you feel about them. There are so many people in my life who have made it better or easier, and I could definitely be better at telling them what they mean to me. Sure, we say “thank you” when someone does something for us. But beyond the little actions, I love hearing someone saying they appreciate me or going deeper into why they’re thanking me. 

It’s definitely nice to hear from the other side. But from the side of the person telling someone how grateful they are for them or something they did, it’s a great way to acknowledge verbally how grateful you are for the people around you. It’s a little realization of the good support system you have.

Go on a mindful walk. 

Going on a mindful walk is a peaceful way to let your thoughts roam of the things that you are grateful for. Challenge yourself. Try to come up with as many things that you can of things you’re grateful for. You may even notice the things that you may not have even realized were a positive thing and that you can now think of as something to appreciate. 

Thank yourself.

One of the most important things you can do in learning and exploring the power of gratitude is to be thankful of yourself. Don’t forget to thank yourself. Starting with yourself can open the door to a more positive emotion and outlook in the world of gratitude. It can foster a culture of self love and make it easier to be grateful for the things and people around you. There are so many reasons to be thankful for yourself, and I challenge you to explore those reasons.