Keep a gratitude jar. At the end of the day each person writes one thing they’re grateful for on a slip of paper and places it into the jar. At the end of the month/year you can open and read them together or whenever you need to remember the good things.
The point of practising gratitude is not to disregard negative emotions. It’s important to allow yourself to feel and experience those as well. Rather, the point is to also recognise the good. Sometimes we can get caught up focusing on what is “wrong” and lose sight of all that is “right.”
Write down everything that is good and positive. Are you thankful for a loving mother? A supportive father? Even something like having a roof over your head counts. Write it all down and reflect upon it. Practising gratitude can give you perspective.
If you want to feel more appreciative instantly, change your ‘I have to’ statements to ‘I get to’. ‘I get to walk across town’ will help you appreciate the the sights, sounds, smells and movement you encounter that others may not be able to.
We spend so much of our time focusing on what is lacking in our lives. We focus on being, doing, and having more in our lives. When we focus on more, we become blind to all we are, all we can do and all we have in our lives, right now.
“Be thankful for what you have, you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ~ Oprah Winfrey