May the Gratitude in my Heart Kiss all the Universe

November is often a time when people start to count their blessings and name what they are thankful for, sometimes around the dinner table on Thanksgiving. But, expressing what we are grateful for more frequently can drastically increase our satisfaction with our lives and those who share our time and space with us. Expressing what we are grateful for can transform our perception of our haves and have-nots, and draw our attention to the multitude of things in our lives that we need to embrace while taking the next step in our lives. 

The magnitude of gratitude cannot be underestimated

Having a deep-down appreciation of the little things can completely transform your life, mental health, and even your brain chemistry! Having a grateful attitude for what you have today, right here in this moment, rather than focusing on what you lack can totally transform your life.

As humans, we are not hard-wired to automatically be thankful, especially not outwardly. It’s not something that comes naturally to us. It’s much easier to focus on the things in our lives that aren’t going the way that we intended them to such as getting stuck in traffic on the way to work, experiencing financial hardships, taking care of a sick family member, or having problems with your boss at work.

Starting a gratitude practice is a beautiful place to start reaping all of the amazing benefits of diving into your soul to expand on what you’re appreciative of and can be done in just a couple of moments!

Start your day with the gentle practice of writing (or typing) out a list of what you’re grateful for and watch the Universe go to work showing you your steadfast blessings throughout the day. When we are conscientious of the blessings that we receive on a daily basis, the more our eyes are turned to just how plentiful our worlds are and this is when our hearts will be more at peace.

Your appreciations will most likely start much broader; such as your health, family, roof over your head, your partner, etc., but as your brain adjusts you will likely find yourself discovering more in-depth and sincere moments that fill your heart with gratitude. This may stem from the mailman who has left your dog a biscuit because they’re always barking at the sound of the doorbell, the stranger that stops you in the grocery store to let you know something has fallen out of your basket, or your neighbor who’s brought your package in from the sudden downpour.

As you stretch and flex your gratitude muscles, they become stronger, and the work of noticing what you’re thankful for becomes easier. As the strengthening process takes place, the angst of worrying about all of the things you don’t have tends to lessen, as your mindset starts to adjust to appreciate things in a new light.

The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.

– Dalai Lama