WHAT IS GRATITUDE?

Gratitude is when we notice the good things in our life and feel thankful for them. It is shining a spotlight on what is working well rather than focusing on what we think is wrong or missing.

When I feel grateful, I am appreciating something or someone: maybe a friend who helped me with work, a perfect beach day, or simply having a good meal, a nice bed, and a safe home with people who love and care for me.

Gratitude is not pretending everything is perfect or ignoring real problems. The opposite of gratitude is disappointment, dissatisfaction, and feeling let down or unhappy.

Feeling gratitude is often as simple as remembering what good things I already have rather than focusing on what I don't have yet. It means training my brain to notice the positive things, big and small.

Sometimes gratitude feels like a warm feeling in my chest when I think about someone I love. Sometimes it is a quiet "thank you" in my mind when something important goes right. And sometimes it is a tremendous feeling of pure joy.

The loveliest thing about practicing gratitude is that it actually changes how we feel. When we practice noticing the good in our lives: people, friends, trees, animals, things, even the whole world and planet, we start to feel happier and more connected to everything around us.

Practicing gratitude is like exercising a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it becomes in our lives and in the world around us. Gratitude is good for everyone and everything, because gratitude is essential to creating a world and a future worth having.

I teach and nurture gratitude in others by modeling it in my own life. And that is exactly why I want you to know: I am genuinely grateful for you.