All Things Inspired

One of the greatest benefits of gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift!

In the last article we covered that having an attitude of gratitude is about expressing thankfulness and appreciation for all things in your life, both big and small, good and bad. And it's being thankful for the bad times that makes us appreciate the good times. Expressing gratitude both feels good and is proper behavior. Now let's look at the benefits of gratitude. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. Realizing that it isn't a collection of what you have in life but how much you enjoy life that creates happiness.

If you begin to practice gratitude, you are likely to experience several of the following benefits:

Begin to experience life as a gift - appreciation for the haves over the have nots.
Teaching mindfulness - having empathy for others and their circumstances may help improve your gratitude. Often, we realize that we don't have it so bad compared to others.
Feel happier - studies have shown that gratitude is one of the few things that can change people's lives in a measurable way.
Career boost - when you have gratitude, it broadens your perspective and that can help you boost opportunities in your career.
Improved optimism - enlightened awareness can lead to improved optimism in all you do.
Less materialistic - when your awareness of gratitude improves, your desire for frivolous or unnecessary materialistic items may diminish.
You will feel healthier - improves blood pressure and heart rate as well as boosted immune system and less aches and pains.
Increases self-esteem - having gratitude includes an appreciation for yourself.
Sleep better - leads to better quality of sleep and duration of sleep. Quality of sleep improves quality of life.
Increased energy levels - gratitude gives an additional spring in your step. Your drive improves in everything you do.
Bounce back from challenges - if you fail a challenge, with an attitude of gratitude you are more likely to bounce back with a positive state of mind.
You will feel more relaxed - you become stress resilient, meaning you can recover from trauma, adversity, and suffering more quickly. It also eases depression and anxiety.
You'll be more productive - you'll make better decisions and by appreciating all things including your time, you schedule your activities to be more productive.
More likely to achieve your goals - the achievement of goals leads to even more gratitude.
You might live longer - assuming the extra spring in your step doesn't cause you to leap in front of a bus!

Those are some amazing benefits! And you can experience many of these by simply making a conscious effort to appreciate what you have. Everyone has struggled in life. When we develop an attitude of gratitude, the struggles end. Or at least they are minimized to a manageable level. We may be living in a world of self-entitlement, but I challenge you to practice gratitude. Being grateful for what you have in life rather than what you expect in life.

As we close this topic, take a moment to reflect on your life. Say thank you where it's warranted. Smile at a stranger and tell them it's good to see them. Do the simple things that can show you are grateful for your position in life. I challenge you to do these things this week. Have gratitude and ...

Be inspired! Inspire others!