A few years ago I decided to put gratitude into practice by creating a gratitude jar for a daily mindfulness habit.
The idea was first introduced to me by a wonderful life coach, Mira Joleigh, and since then I have seen many Lightworkers promote this practice. I decided to try it out. If putting daily notes of gratitude into a jar might make my life better, why not give it a go?
Every day for a year I wrote the things I was grateful for on a tiny bit of paper that would get folded and added to the jar.
It wasn’t easy. Some days, feeling stressed over my current life situation, I avoided my jar for not being able to see the good in life.
Sometimes I would have to write multiple days at once to catch up.
My children were written about often, obviously, but I must admit at times finding something to be grateful for took a bit of creativity. In those overwhelming parenting moments that are common with small children, I would turn to my jar and force myself to write something positive.
Surely I could find something in those challenging moments to be grateful for.
On those days I would dig deep and find gratitude for the lessons parenting was teaching me, like how to be more patient or how to work through anger and move forward.
Spending a year searching for things to be grateful for slowly shifted my perspective. I became happier, more optimistic, and I became better at seeing the bright side of any situation.
Positive thoughts attract positive things, and in this way using a gratitude jar created miracles.
After the year was over, I briefly considered reading every slip of paper, before I decided to put the jar up on display in my home. It would become a permanent reminder that no matter the day, nor how difficult the moment, there is always something to be grateful for.
I don’t keep a gratitude jar now. Although I loved the practice, I decided I didn’t want to accumulate another jar of paper. Perhaps someday I will burn my old offers of gratitude and start again.
I’ve come to believe that gratitude is a key ingredient for happiness and fulfillment. If we want to attract more, we need to first appreciate all that we have.
When we are in a positive headspace, we are better able to see creative solutions to our problems. When we regularly remember to be grateful for all that we have, even if we don’t seem to have much, we free ourselves to be happy regardless of our current situation.
Instead of placing our happiness on some future conditions being fulfilled, practicing gratitude on a daily basis helps us be happy right now.
There are many different ways to practice gratitude. Keep a daily gratitude journal. Start your own jar. Work gratitude into your nightly prayers. Give thanks whenever you feel it, especially towards yourself.
Make gratitude a daily practice, and you will start to see just how amazing your life already is.
* * * * * * *
Do you have a regular gratitude practice? Leave a comment and let me know how you remind yourself to be grateful of all the abundance in your life!
Don’t forget to share this post to help spread those positive vibes!
