Gratitude: A word that not many of us use on a daily basis. As we kick start into 2018, now is the time to reflect on the highs and lows that we experienced last year and apply them toward being our best self. Take some time to go through the memories of events that happened this past year. How do they make you feel? Awakened, Relieved or Anxious? All of these feelings are a part of what makes us who we are, and there is no greater feeling than letting the world know our true self.
My college career has opened my eyes and heart about what it takes to be grateful. I am grateful for my health, my family, my friends and my faith. I am grateful for my life. I can make what I want for myself, and so can you, but it takes the simple understanding of what it means to be grateful. I am going to break down how to live gratefully so that you too can fulfill happiness.
To start, you must understand the definition of being grateful. Second, I will share with you how to practice gratitude. Third, I will share how to live every day with gratitude.
Gratitude is the key to a happy life. Robert Emmons, the world’s leading scientific expert of gratitude, says that there are two components to being grateful. The first component is the affirmation of goodness. This is knowing that there are good things and good people in the world.
The second component is recognizing that the sources of goodness are beyond ourselves. These sources are not material things that bring us joy, but instead they are the experiences between ourselves and others that form memories we hold onto forever. Our emotions emerge within us spontaneously and we can turn these emotions into making the world a better place.
To practice gratitude, we must find opportunities to break away from selfishness and focus on the world around us. Give yourself permission to pause because life moves so fast. David Steindl-Rast, a Catholic Benedictine monk notable for his active practice of spirituality and gratitude, says that the true practice of gratitude is to stop, look and go. This philosophy is a chain reaction. When you stop, the next step is to look. When you look, you open up all of your senses and absorb your surroundings. Your senses drive you into action and you go for any opportunities life offers.
Living gratefully is a way of life that is nourished by the community and our relationships. It teaches us how to notice all of the little things as well as the greatest blessings of life. Our gratitude is developed over time. It takes practice, experience and wisdom to master the art of gratitude.
Find what makes you happy and turn that into sharing your happiness with others. It’s a new year, so it’s time to make yourself a better you. Who knows, you may even change somebody’s life.