The Surprising Reasons Why I’m Doing A Daily Gratitude Practice
This might sound weird…
But I just recently discovered what gratitude really is.
I used to think of gratitude as something I do in response to receiving something good.
Now - as I live, learn and grow more - I view it differently.
To me, gratitude is the natural state of being that emerges when I’m so present that it opens up a heartfelt appreciation for the magic of existence.
You know that feeling…
When you’re in the moment, a state of such pure presence that you’re awe-struck by the beauty of life. That’s gratitude.
Gratitude is a bridge between gritty everyday life and the transcendent states we all seek.
That’s why gratitude has so many benefits that anyone can tap into. A genuine gratitude practice benefits every aspect of life in profound ways.
And no, gratitude is not some bullshit fake positivity. In fact, I’ve noticed some of the best results when I find gratitude around the “negative” stuff in life and see the lessons in them.
The Traps
Even with a lot of personal development and spiritual work under my belt, I still fell into some traps over the last few months:
Being hard on myself
Focused so much on the future and chasing results
Being so in my head, overanalyzing and overthinking
Pinning my self-worth to what I achieved (or didn’t achieve)
Allowing stress and self-doubt to take me down
Here’s the thing though.
I started to notice that even a little bit of gratitude would shift all of that. Even being grateful for those challenges helped shift them, which is mind-blowing.
And it’s not just thinking about gratitude, but actually FEELING it. FEELING gratitude is what created the shift.
But, like most people, I never stuck to a consistent gratitude practice.
The Signs
Soon enough, I started getting some interesting signs from surprising sources.
Call me weird for this, but I’ve been listening to the audiobook version of The Science of Getting Rich on repeat as I workout.
(it’s an oddly satisfying way to workout lol)
There’s a whole chapter dedicated to gratitude in that book.
The Science of Getting Rich shares a few thought-provoking ideas about gratitude:
The grateful mind is always fixated on the best, which will naturally create the best results.
Gratitude directly connects you with God/Source and allows you to be a channel for the flow of life.
Over and over, The Science of Getting Rich emphasizes gratitude as a key component for getting rich.
Another sign came from the brilliant Andrew Huberman, who did a phenomenal podcast on the science of gratitude.
Hearing about the benefits of gratitude from a practical scientific perspective added another level of inspiration for me.
The Benefits of Gratitude
Gratitude has many well-researched benefits.
The great thing is that most benefits of gratitude are directly experienced and have immediate positive effects.
Here are just some of the aspects of life that gratitude enhances:
Mental health and happiness
Emotional health
Relationships
Focus
Emotional intelligence
Decision making
Sense of purpose and meaning
Resilience to stress
Sleep quality
Physical health
When you’re aware of the seemingly endless list of benefits, a gratitude practice becomes a no-brainer.
Think about it. If a pill came with all of those benefits, wouldn’t you take it? Of course.
The Intention
All of this led to an aha moment while walking outside…
“I’m going to share gratitude every day as a gratitude practice.”
And now here I am…
The intention behind sharing gratitude every day is the ultimate win-win situation.
It keeps me present and focused each day
It helps me live in deeper gratitude (and enjoy the many benefits that come along with that)
It inspires others to practice gratitude daily
People feel gratitude (and reap the benefits) just by seeing me share gratitude
It gives me the opportunity to acknowledge other people who I’m grateful for
That’s an omni-win, for everyone.
I like writing about a lot of complex philosophical and metaphysical stuff, but you know what? I realized that gratitude is more potent than any complex theory.
A simple gratitude practice. A simple sharing of gratitude. It’s an underrated and overlooked way to catalyze massive positive change.
I invite you to practice gratitude every day.
Find something you’re grateful for, especially the small things, the “negative” stuff and things you might overlook.
That’s where the magic is. And, really, the magic is everywhere.
Thank you for reading,
- Stephen Parato