The Gift of Gratitude

Researchers have discovered that gratitude has some incredible mental, physical, and emotional benefits. A daily gratitude practice literally rewires the brain and body for health and joy. It’s a state of mind and being that can be cultivated through mindfulness. Gratitude is a feeling that spontaneously emerges from within, and it is also a choice we make. We can choose to be grateful, or we can choose to take our gifts and blessings for granted.

Acts of kindness and feelings of gratitude flood our brains with a chemical called dopamine. When we are truly grateful, our brains reward us by giving us a natural high. We then seek more of the good feeling thus becoming more inclined to give thanks and perform acts of kindness for others.  This positive perpetual cycle helps rewire our brains into appreciation, generosity, and kindness.

Gratitude calls us to notice all that is already present and abundant – from the tiniest things of beauty to the grandest of our blessings – and in so doing, to take nothing for granted. Even in the most challenging times, living gratefully makes us aware of, and available to, opportunities to learn and grow, and to extend ourselves with care and compassion to others.

The trick is that gratitude has to be genuine and frequently practiced to do its brain rewiring job.

You could be genuinely grateful for: A sunny, warm day, the bus being on time, snagging a good parking spot in a busy shopping centre, someone else cooking dinner, having the courage to say no, your houseplant flowering, a pay rise, a call from an old friend, a great haircut, drinking your coffee before it went cold…

If you would like to learn more about the practise of Gratitude for yourself and others, and how to live a happy life, call our staff today and enrol into our Certificate III in Personal Empowerment. Your personal success journey starts here.

When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.

― Maya Angelou

Donna Mortlock