I used to read about the powers of gratitude and take it to mean that I should be grateful for what little I have and learn to love it. Basically, I should settle rather than wish or dream for anything bigger, and so this never appealed to me.
It wasn't until I finally understood the quickly transforming power of gratitude and its relation to the law of attraction that I began to practice it myself. Within three months, I witnessed my life shift drastically.
In this article, I will discuss gratitude, its extremely powerful nature, and how you can begin practicing gratitude today.
What does practicing gratitude mean?
Gratitude is simply being aware of what you have and what is going well in your experience. It is a practice that has been studied extensively by psychologists like Robert Emmons, who has shown that gratitude positively impacts our mental health and enhances our overall emotional well-being.
To be grateful is to consistently acknowledge all the good in your life and truly feel its presence. Most people focus on what they lack and, therefore, attract more of it. By practicing daily gratitude journaling or engaging in gratitude meditations, we can shift our focus from scarcity to abundance, which helps reduce negative emotions like anger and envy.
When you're in a state of gratitude, your focus on loving what you have attracts MORE things to love. Like attracts like. Are you attracting more lack or more things to love in your life? This is the true power of gratitude, and the benefits of gratitude extend far beyond just feeling good in the moment—they help improve relationships, reduce stress, and even foster a deeper connection to a higher power for many people.
3 ways practicing gratitude will transform your life
Before I tell you how to practice gratitude, I will share how gratitude works. And boy, does it work.
My partner had lost his job, and I was pregnant with our second baby. We had no income for three months, and it was during that time that I began practicing gratitude and visualization for just five to ten minutes a night after watching the documentary The Secret.
Long story short, within three months, my partner was hired for a job completely outside his field. He made twice as much and worked half as much. If you know us in real life, you know I'm not lying and that he's home all the time.
We don't live the financial lives we used to, and I know without a doubt that gratitude and visualizing every night changed my reality.
Here are three ways gratitude works to transform your life in a short amount of time.
1. You notice what you do have
How often do we take all the good things we already have for granted?
Practices like daily gratitude journaling encourage us to take stock of the things we might overlook. This could include seemingly small blessings like access to technology or even the opportunity to connect with loved ones on social media. By keeping a gratitude list, you naturally shift your focus to what’s going right in your life.
When we fail to notice what we have, we don't align ourselves with receiving more. A lack mindset, where we constantly feel like we don't have enough and complain all the time, only sets us up to attract more circumstances that make us feel like we don't have enough.
2. Your vibrational energy is shifted big time
There is positive energy, and there is negative energy. Positive things (positive experiences, situations, circumstances, feelings like joy, love, and freedom) vibrate at higher levels, while negative things vibrate at lower levels. Humans are constantly vibrating at a certain level because we are energy.
Engaging in practices like gratitude meditations not only helps you recognize your blessings but also allows you to cultivate higher vibrational energy, which is essential for attracting positive experiences into your life. Research from psychologists suggests that focusing on gratitude can significantly improve mental health, helping to ease symptoms of depression and anxiety.
When we take time to think about all the things we're grateful for, our vibrational energy naturally increases, attracting more good things into our experience.
3. You open yourself up to receive more
Once you're feeling grateful and your vibrational level has increased, you are now in the same "funnel of energy" as other positive things, which means you can receive them. You become a magnet for them. (Same thing if you're vibrating at a low level—you're a magnet for more negative experiences and feelings, i.e., "when it rains, it pours").
When we think and look around our physical realities, observing what we like and don't like, we're basically ordering the universe to receive more of the same. Grateful people tend to approach life with optimism, seeing setbacks as opportunities, which enhances their emotional well-being and mental resilience.
What are the three parts of gratitude?
Gratitude can be broken down into three powerful components: recognition, expression, and reflection.
- Recognition: This is about noticing the good things in your life, big or small. Whether it’s a beautiful sunrise or a kind gesture from a stranger, cultivating awareness is the first step. A gratitude journal can help you develop this habit by prompting you to list the things you appreciate each day.
- Expression: It's not enough to simply notice; expressing gratitude solidifies it in your mind. Saying thank you to someone, writing it down, or even meditating on your blessings are ways to actively express gratitude. When we take time to acknowledge our appreciation out loud or in writing, it boosts our mood and helps reduce feelings of anxiety, thus placing us on a higher vibrational frequency.
- Reflection: This is the practice of looking back on your day or your life to recognize how gratitude has played a role. Reflecting on what you’re thankful for can shift your perspective from one of lack to one of abundance. Grateful people tend to see life through a more positive lens, which enhances both their emotional and physical health over time.
By practicing these three parts of gratitude regularly, you can create a habit that boosts your self-esteem, decreases depression, and encourages a more joyful outlook on life.
How do I train my brain to be grateful?
Training your brain to be grateful requires consistent effort and intentionality, but the rewards are majorly transformative. Here are some steps you can take:
- Start a gratitude journal: Writing down three to five things you’re grateful for each day helps you develop a habit of looking for the positive. Over time, this trains your brain to naturally focus on appreciation instead of lack.
- Incorporate gratitude into meditation: Spend a few minutes each day meditating on the things you’re grateful for. Visualize them in detail and allow yourself to feel the positive emotions that come with gratitude. This practice not only reduces anxiety but also rewires your brain to find joy in the present moment.
- Reframe negative experiences: When something doesn’t go your way, ask yourself what lesson or hidden gift might be present in the situation. There always is one. Grateful people find silver linings in challenges, which helps them maintain a sense of perspective and emotional resilience.
- Make it a daily habit: Gratitude is like a muscle—the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. Set reminders to pause during the day and express gratitude for the moment. It could be as simple as appreciating the comfort of your chair or the warmth of a cup of tea.
By following these steps, you’ll begin to notice a shift in your thought patterns. Gratitude becomes second nature, boosting your overall mood, improving physical health, and deepening your sense of contentment.
How to practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude is extremely simple, although it might take some getting used to if you're used to complaining, feeling like a victim, and/or noticing all that's wrong in your world.
But I'm here to let you know that I was that person. I was able to begin quickly practicing gratitude for a few minutes a day, and seven years later, I'm still in awe of what happened in those following months.
Here's what I did: I simply thought of ten things every night that I was grateful for.
At the time, I was receiving food stamps because my partner had lost his job, and I was pregnant with our second baby. It was not the greatest moment in my life by far. I could've complained and feared the worst every night before falling asleep, but I did the opposite instead.
I would feel grateful for things like:
- food stamps to buy food for my toddler
- my warm bed
- family that was helping us
- my healthy toddler
- my health and the health of my husband
- our car that got us around
- the internet to find jobs and submit resumes easily
- mindset books that kept my faith high
- the existence of the law of attraction
- my overall safety in this world
By focusing on these blessings through gratitude lists and meditations, I was able to shift my energy from fear to hope. In addition to improving my mental health, it allowed me to attract better circumstances in a matter of months.
Sometimes, I would fall asleep with tears of gratitude in my eyes instead of tears of fear, worry, or doubt.
We all have an important choice to make every day: to focus on the good, which allows abundance to flow, or to focus on the scary stuff, which blocks our abundance from showing up.
Your abundance in all things is always available to you. The only thing stopping it is your divine and holy focus. Focus on the good, and you will open the floodgates.
EXPLORE FURTHER
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you.
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With love,
Jessica
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Gene
I am so grateful that I came across this life changing article. It opened me up to see the real me even more. I love my life I love this moment & I am grateful for your wisdom. Thank you Thank you Thank you
Jessica Dimas
Gene, your comment truly touched me—thank you. It means everything to hear how the article helped you connect deeper with your present moment and your beautiful life. So much love and gratitude to you, too 🌿