What is Gratitude?

What is gratitude? The definition from the Oxford English Dictionary is:

‘The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.’

Simply put: gratitude is about demonstrating thankfulness. When we are thankful for anything we are showing gratitude. Gratitude is an aspect of heartfulness. We can feel thankful for people and things in our lives and we can also teach ourselves to be more grateful. Being grateful allows our minds to think positively.

In everyday life we can get so caught up in work, chores, taking the kids to school and making the most out of the day we forget to step back and stop for a moment. We should take just a couple of minutes out of our daily lives to be grateful, even if it is for the smallest thing. Switching our minds from a fast-paced and sometimes negative perspective to a thankful and optimistic view does wonders for our wellbeing and happiness.

Try this simple, two-minute gratitude activity every morning. When you do so you will start to change the way you look at the world.

Start by writing down a list of anything and anyone you are grateful for. For example:

I am grateful for my loving partner.

I am grateful for my cup of tea.

I am grateful for this sunny weather.

I am grateful for my comfortable bed.

I am grateful for my car.

That’s all you need to do! The gratitude list is endless. You will see positive changes in your mind and heart when using your gratitude muscle. The more your use it, the stronger the muscle will get.

Remember its only a two minute exercise each morning to start your day with gratitude and positivity. So get your gratitude on and reap the rewards!