Attitude of gratitude – 4 easy steps to unleash the power of gratefulness

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Did you know that an attitude of gratitude can reshape almost any negative life circumstance into the happiness and wealth you desire? In this blog post you will learn 4 easy steps to unleash the power of gratitude. I have also created a set of free motivational cards for you.

attitude of gratitude

Learning this technique is especially beneficial for those who suffer from emotional overeating triggered by avoidance or low-self esteem.

An effective game changer

Having a “gratitude attitude” can be a real game changer and a declaration of love for life.

Why?

If you recall mindfully what to be grateful for, then an utter feeling of satisfaction and joy is released in you. It is a really powerful feeling that can improve your mood immediately. It's so easy and simple to use that cultivating gratefulness should play a major role in your daily activities.

When you feel “good,” you are more motivated, energized, and involved, and this is another success factor for helping you make your healthy habits stick. Naomi Williams puts it in a nutshell with her wise words:

gratitude thoughts that help make healthy habits stick
It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed at the same time.
Naomi Williams

How powerful is that? By the way, this beautiful image above is from my book “inspirational picture quotes about gratitude”. To see what I'm talking about, check out 85 best gratitude quotes and thankful sayings.

Gratitude meaning

So what is gratitude? It means being in a state of gratefulness. It is a positive feeling in appreciation of a tangible or intangible benefit one has received or will receive. From a historical point of view, the gratitude prayer stands in the center point of many world religions.

Things we could be grateful for

At its heart, the attitude of being grateful can be applied to everything. Each of us possesses endless tangible and intangible assets we could be grateful for – if we don't take them for granted.

You could be thankful that you can walk, laugh, cry, hear, see, and taste. You are blessed if you and your family are healthy. You could show thankfulness if somebody smiles at you or gives you a nice compliment, if you have reliable friends, a stable relationship, or if you live in a country without terror and war, etc.

Unfortunately, most people treat their assets and skills very carelessly and underestimate the importance of appreciation. They take them for granted, and they do not recognize what they have while always striving for more. This can fuel discontent and destroy serenity.

Once people lose something, it dawns on them quite painfully what a treasure they had and how thankful they could have been for it while they still possessed it.

You can train to be thankful 

The good news is that positive thoughts can be trained, although they are elusive like the scent of a light fragrance. Too often we forget to value what we have because we always want more.

No matter what type of mood you are in, if you practice gratitude and remind yourself what to be grateful for, your mood will brighten and improve spontaneously. Here is my appreciation list as an example and first inspiration. I'm thankful for:

  • my wonderful husband
  • my lovely daughter
  • my health
  • friends I can talk about everything with
  • moments of laughter with my family
  • the love of my husband
  • my work, which I enjoy
  • my inspiring parents and how they raised me
  • my senses; that I can hear, see, read, walk, and taste
  • each new day that I can live for my purpose
  • you, my dear readers
  • each sunset that I experience
  • the help and support of my friends
  • my 15-minutes of yoga in the morning
  • compliments I get from others
  • my cozy home

Ok, I think you get it… My list could go on and on. But it's not about me … What are you grateful for? For what could you thank somebody for? The following inspirational quotes could give you some hints:

Like any feeling, you can improve your ability to express gratitude and the positive feelings connected with it. Because “gratitude is the best attitude” or how Karl Barth puts it:

inspirational gratitude quote
“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude”
Karl Barth

Further Reading: 100 happiness quotes that make you instantly happier

4 step habit change: how to develop an attitude of gratitude towards yourselves

Gratefulness towards ourselves is the first step to recharging your life batteries. All too often we work ourselves into the ground, allow pundits to get the upper hand, making it hard for us to be grateful for what we are, what we can do, and what we actually do.

1, Think about everything you could be grateful for. Again, I’ve created inspirational cards for you. Reading famous quotes on gratitude will help you make your creative sources flow.

gratitude quotes
 => Print out your cards on gratitude quotes!

2. Write down everything you are grateful for on a sheet of paper or in a special gratitude journal. Don't fear big words.
If unsure, check how to practice gratitude with a journal for beginners.

3. Every morning, when you wake up in your bed, ask yourself, “What are three things that I'm grateful for today?” Look at your sheet for inspiration. Answer your question. Then, ask yourself, “What are three things that I'm thankful for that I know are coming into my life?” Answer again.

4. Stop once or twice throughout your day and give thanks. Do this for seven days straight and you will feel the inner wealth surfacing. You'll notice a huge shift in both your state of mind and in your current circumstances. 

The more often you’re reminded of your wealth, the stronger the positive feelings connected with it become. This attitude of appreciation often leads to inner harmony and peace. What a fantastic reward!

gratitude thoughts

2 additional ways to express gratefulness

  1. Be thankful even for things that you tried to do but failed. Trying to do something new is a brave step, a learning experience, and the start of a journey. Don't wear yourself down if something didn't go as planned – especially when it comes to the 52 clean eating challenge. Instead, be proud of those clean eating changes you managed to stick almost a year long.
  2. Our lives get even richer when we show gratefulness towards others. It makes us feel good, improves relations, and boosts our self-confidence. A “thank you” doesn't cost anything. Just a few seconds and a smile. Other people can't inherently know if they are important to you. You have to tell them.

I'm closing with the last gratefulness quote:

“Every day may not be good...
but there's something good in every day.” Alice Morse EarleClick To Tweet

There are many occasions for being grateful, as long as you are prepared to appreciate the matter, of course.
Think about it: what might be expected today can tomorrow mean a painful loss or at least a limitation in your life.

Further Reading: 39 positive attitude quotes to stop negative thoughts

And if you need more inspirational sayings and being grateful quotes paired with brilliant pictures then you should check out my book below. The printed version comes with two blank pages where you can write down your favorite gratitude affirmations. On the suggestion of my readers, I have also included a special dedication page as this book makes a wonderful gift too.

promo for inspirational picture Quotes about gratitude

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2 thoughts on “Attitude of gratitude – 4 easy steps to unleash the power of gratefulness”

  1. I enjoyed the reminders here. We get so swallowed up in what needs to be done, that it is easy to forget to fill every day with consistent gratitude. I did a gratitude experiment this summer. I live in an area that is hard to garden. It dawned on me -that was my focus- barren, too hot, too windy. So I moved my containers to a more protected area, and refocused on gratitude to grow, harvest and benefit from the fruits of my labor. I had a crazy good harvest this year.

    • Congratulations Sunny for your crazy good harvest year. You deserve it! Thank you for sharing your story with us. Sometimes we just need to shift a bit our perspective or do things just a bit different than usual. Combine it with gratitude thoughts and you can expect a better “harvest” in your life – like you did. BTW I checked your valuable website Sunny, and saw that some pictures on the homepage don’t show up properly – just to let you know. All the best.

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