An Attitude Of Gratitude
Written by: Alex Knysh, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
There has been so much going on in the world, so much chaos and uncertainty. Even the planetary action in the last 12 months has been big with change and energy and transformation. Have you been feeling it too?
As I have been moving through these energies, I was thinking how important it is now, more than ever, to think about, and feel gratitude.
What are you grateful for? Even in times when things can be so challenging? Do you really know?
Firstly though, what does it mean to have an attitude of gratitude? Cultivating a feeling of gratitude means to show thanks and appreciation for what is good in your life. When you feel thankful, you are taking the time to acknowledge the gifts you have. Feeling thankful is experiencing an effective, positive emotional state that helps to neutralise other emotional states such as anger, frustration, sadness, etc. You cannot feel those states when you are in gratitude.
Experiencing an effective emotional state such as gratitude is like a tonic that leads to greater happiness and greater satisfaction in our lives.
It is a powerful practice, that if you really feel it from your heart, it can lead to huge shifts in your perspective, behaviours, and your energy.
Practising gratitude daily can help you rewrite your story and go from a life of lack and negative thinking to a life of positive energy and abundance that flows through you and all around you.
Some years ago, I was very ill with chronic autoimmune dis-ease and I wasn’t coping with my diagnosis. I had a psychologist advise me to write three things that I was grateful for every night before I go to bed. I was in such a negative state at the time; I felt in despair, I was very ill and in an intense amount of pain, physically and emotionally. So, I really struggled to find three things that I was grateful for each day.
Mostly I was just grateful for a roof over my head, my comfortable bed, and my cat. And so most nights, I would write the same three things over and over. However, as time passed, I noticed I was beginning to find more within my immediate surroundings to be grateful for, such as watching and listening to the birds in the tree out my window or being able to cook myself a nutritious meal.
As the months went on, I noticed instead of writing just one line a day, it turned into full sentences, then paragraphs, and then sometimes full pages of things I that I truly felt thankful for.
This was an incredibly powerful process for me. It allowed me to take the focus away from the pain I was experiencing and focus on what was positive in my life. It truly shifted my perception and helped change the neural connections within my mind.
It allowed me to be more compassionate with myself. It gave my life so much more meaning and lifted my energy higher so I could start healing the dis-ease that was running through my body.
That was several years ago now, and I fully believe that practicing gratitude and having an attitude of gratitude contributed significantly to my healing.
I still practice gratitude daily. I give thanks for my family, my friends and having meaningful connections in my life. I give thanks for my thriving and successful business and helping people change their lives. I give thanks for having the flexibility in my business for my own self-care. And every day I give thanks for my strength, my health, my happiness, knowing who I am, and my purpose in life.
Having an attitude of gratitude is a powerful way to transform your life. It helps to reduce stress and depression and improves the quality of your being. It helps you feel healthier, stronger, happier, and more aware of the abundance around you. The more you practice, the more you enjoy and appreciate. It is such a simple action to take on as a daily influence that helps you change your whole story.
We can’t control what’s going on in the world, but we can control our thoughts, our emotions, our actions and manage our responses. You can shift your energy so quickly when you allow yourself to pause, to notice what you’ve got that’s good in your life, to acknowledge your wins and achievements (even if that is just getting out of bed each day!), and to really focus on the things that make you feel good.
When you practice having an attitude of gratitude, your whole world starts expanding. Even if that whole world is centred only around your lounge room!
I encourage you to start a list, write in a gratitude journal, to put reminders in your phone, or stick post-it notes around to remind yourself to tap into the state of gratitude. There are many different ways to tap into feelings of gratitude.
For some people, being out in nature helps to appreciate Earth’s bounty, for others, having a ritual such as saying grace before a meal helps to cultivate those feelings. For others, it is expressing gratitude to their family and friends for acts of kindness or thoughtfulness. It can take practice and consistency.
One idea might be to take some nice deep breaths, close your eyes, focus on what it is you want to feel grateful for, and see if you can notice the feelings or sensations in your heart. Fill yourself up and say, “wow this is so great!” and really savour the feeling of what you are focusing on and feeling thankful for.
True gratitude is all about feeling good and improving your quality of life. So, I ask you now, what are three things that you are grateful for today?
Alex Knysh, Executive Contributor, Brainz Magazine
Alex Knysh is an Energy Leader & Self-Love Coach, supporting women to live their passion and purpose through the journey of connecting deep within and discovering self-love.
Alex is passionate about helping people develop more confidence, clarity, and connection.
With 6 years of experience coaching and leading groups, running workshops and events, Alex is also the founder of Better Life Solutions, a group inspiring people globally to be the best versions of themselves.
When she is not helping clients discover their own inner brilliance, you will find her exploring nature and sitting on the shores of the beautiful beaches of her hometown of Sydney.
