Making a Shift in Thinking, a Shift in Attitude

Do you often find it easier to focus on the negatives in your day rather than the positive? To forget the compliments and remember insults more often? What if you could train your mind to focus more on the positive people, comments, and circumstances in your day? Think of how powerful that would be.   

“Gratitude, when mixed with mindfulness and a healthy intention, creates inner peace. As we think of others and what we need, we shift from what we have, to what we can give.” – Chris Shea 

Gratitude itself is a practice of mindfulness and working on the two together can be life changing. Living more mindfully can actually help you become more grateful and vice versa. The ultimate goal of meditation and mindfulness is to be more present and to find inner peace. When we are stressing about the past or worrying about the future it is hard to realize what we have to be grateful for in the now. This article can help you cultivate a life of gratitude and shift to a more positive outlook on all aspects of your world. 

Imagine that every thought you have is either feeding you with positive energy or causing a small negative imprint. Your thoughts that are based in love feed the soul and fill up your tank. The thoughts that are based in fear, sadness and anger do just the opposite. You have an opportunity every time you have a thought to ask yourself, ‘what is this feeding in my life?’  

By Being More Present, You Begin to Notice More Beauty and Joy in Your Life

If you can bring more awareness to the thoughts you are having, while practicing slowing down the mind, you begin a process of reflection and allow yourself to improve and grow. 
 
It’s self-awareness and it’s meditation. Meditation is about noticing your thoughts without judgment. Begin to acknowledge your negative thoughts then switch them around to something you feel good about in the present. If you decide that your complaint deserves no more energy, turn to gratitude. It’s impossible to complain and be grateful at the same time.  

The benefits of practicing gratitude are endless.

What better time than the holiday season to focus on living your life to the fullest, with a grateful heart? People who regularly practice gratitude spend more time focusing on what is good and reflecting on what makes them most happy in life. Research has shown that individuals who put gratitude into practice experience more positive feelings, sleep better, and even have stronger immune systems.

Cultivate a life gratitude and beauty with the following practices:  

• Daily: Keep a gratitude journal and write down at least three things you are grateful for that day and why. This is a great practice to add to or begin a journaling habit and wonderful way to start or end each day. 
• At least one time per day: Eat or drink something mindfully. Choose one meal, your morning cup of coffee or an afternoon tea and eat or drink it slowly with no distractions. Focus only on the meal or drink and resist using your phone, watching tv or any other outside distractions. Be as mindful as possible, using all your senses and tapping into the gratitude you have for where the food came from, the person who prepared it and how it is nourishing your body. 
• At least one time per week: dedicate a workout or walk to mindful gratitude. Dedicate your workout to someone or something you are grateful for and keep it your focus throughout. Or try truly disconnecting and focusing only on the beauty within and around you. Feel gratitude for your surroundings, for your body and how it allows you to move, and for the time you are taking for self-care. 
• At least two times each month: Give the gift of gratitude to someone else. Tell a loved one or friend why you are grateful for them, thank an employee somewhere for the job that they do or a coworker for the support they lend.  
• At least once per month: Do a random act of kindness or volunteer to help someone else. This is a great way to ground us and realize what we are thankful for in life and what gifts we have to offer to the world.  

Our team has developed and provided multiple services on the topics of gratitude and mindfulness. We find that individuals and workers are more open than ever for these classes, seminars, and challenges centered around calming the mind, focusing on the positive and living in the now. We all need this grounding and balancing in today's busy and distracted world. Contact us for information on how we can provide this for you or your group.