5 Ways to use Gratitude in your daily life

"Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even more to express gratitude for." ~ Zig Ziglar

We often tend to think of what is lacking in our lives instead of feeling happy about all that we have in our lives. It is the way we have been conditioned to think, perhaps by society, family, teachers or friends. And because it is only a thinking pattern, we can change it any day, any moment to live more fulfilling lives. 

According to the Law of Attraction, we attract those things that we constantly think about. Thoughts become things. Therefore, if we think of all the things that we have and be in a state of happiness, we will receive more things to be happy about. On the other hand, if we sulk about all the things that are lacking in our lives, we will have more things to sulk about. 

In order to change our thinking pattern, we can practice conscious daily Gratitude. It will boost our happiness and make us feel positive. Happier thoughts lead to a happy and healthy body. 

I have been using conscious Gratitude daily for over a year and it has changed the way I perceive life. Gone are those compulsive stressful and worrisome thoughts that made my days filled with anxiety. Now, I can see blessings, beauty, and positivity everywhere I look. 

I am sharing 5 ways to use Gratitude in your daily life so that you can feel happy and blissful. 

1. Count 10 blessings after you wake up in the morning

The best way to start your day is by reminding yourself of all your blessings. You can download a Gratitude App on your smartphone or do this exercise in a journal. Feel thankful for your talents, intelligence, health, home, family, friends, relationships, work, money, good health, food, water and anything that comes to your mind. Feel thankful for the marvels of Nature, music, books, movies, etc. 

When I started this exercise on my Gratitude App, initially I used to struggle in finding 10 blessings every day. But now I can find abundance of blessings. And trust me, you will find that too. 

2. End the day by feeling grateful for the best thing that happened during the day

Before you go to sleep, rewind your day in your mind and notice the best thing that happened. Say thank you for the best thing that happened during the day. With a smile and a content heart, go to sleep. Even on our worst days, there will be a ray of hope, a moment of positivity hiding somewhere that you need to find. 

When you start and end your day with gratitude, you will change the programming of your mind. Like a honeybee, you will start looking for the nectar in everything. And you will find more things to be grateful for. 

3. Feel grateful for being You

Every day, when you look at the mirror, take a moment to feel grateful for being you. It is you who is doing all the wonderful things for yourself - taking care of your health, earning a living, nurturing relationships, showing kindness to the world and so on. 

Instead of self-criticism, start being grateful for all the wonderful things that you do and have the potential to do. Be your biggest cheerleader! 

We need to love and be comfortable with the person we are living 24 7 - 'ourselves'. 

4. Make your relationships magical

Think about the 3 closest people in your life. Now, write down 5 reasons why you are grateful for each of them. When you start doing this exercise, you will feel overwhelmed with love. You can send a card to them listing the reasons why you are grateful for having them in your life. 

Often, we take our family and friends for granted. Practicing gratitude will make our relationships more magical and harmonious. 

5. Say 'thank you' before each meal

Pause for 5 seconds and say 'thank you' to the Universe before having your meal. There is the effort of so many people behind the food we consume - farmers, vegetable sellers, the person who cooks, etc. Feeling grateful towards all those people will help us enjoy our meal even more. 

As kids, we were taught to say a little prayer before having our meals. The intention was to energize the food with vibrations of gratitude. When we start feeling grateful for every meal that we have, we will train our minds to always be aware of our blessings. 

All these 5 practices have been personally tried and tested before recommending. I can vouch for the amazing results they will bring if you incorporate them into your life. Let's make 2020 a year of happiness, health, and well-being. Let's change the lens through which we look at life. Let's wear the lens of gratitude that will generate positive feelings within us.

 I wish you all a very happy, blissful, and prosperous new year!

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every person has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all people have some." ~ Charles Dickens

Between Yesterday and Tomorrow

Between the tempest of yesterday

And the amber sun of tomorrow,

I marvel at the rainbow

In my azure sky today. 

Between the catastrophic past

And the glorious future

Is the wisdom of the present-

The truest of all wealth in the world.

I have earned my sagacity

Walking in the labyrinth of heartache.

Between the tears of yesterday

And the laughter of tomorrow

Is the enlightenment of today;

Success and Failure are like Day and Night

One is followed by the other

Two feet stepping forward on the path of life.

Between the bruises of yesterday

And the radiance of tomorrow

Is the strength blossoming in me today;

Each scar has left behind

A note of wisdom

With which I gather my broken pieces

And construct a new monument

That cannot be shaken by an earthquake. 

I am the architecture of my dreams

I am the creator of my future. 

-Purba Chakraborty

28.02.19'

Use empowering words!

Are you aware of the enormous power of our words? Only when we realize the power of our words, we can learn to be conscious of what we speak. The way our thoughts shape our action, the way we speak determines our success.

Do not use words like “I wish I could” and “I can’t”

When you converse with others or talk to your own self, do you use these words frequently? If your answer is yes, then you are limiting your potential unintentionally. I am sure it sounds shocking, but it’s completely true. Using such words will not only fill you with sheer self-doubt, but will also make you powerless. 

There are some situations where we all use words like “I can’t”, “I won’t”, “I wish I could” and “I don’t know how”. But, the person who uses these words frequently would always live a miserable life. He would think himself to be a victim who cannot control his own life. Such people wallow in self-pity more than often and cannot be successful in their lives as they have limited their potential themselves.

You should always use empowering language

Empowering language is nothing fancy but using words which can reflect your self-confidence and high self-esteem. People who are successful prefer using words like “I can”, “I will” and “This will be mine”. Such empowering words attract abundance, prosperity and success to a huge extent.

These words help the person to have a focused mindset and belief in himself. His own words will motivate him to work harder to achieve the thing that he said “This will be mine.” He will have an uncanny determination to work through all the obstacles to be a winner. 

What will you choose?

I remember there was a time when I had a very low self-esteem, during my high-school days. I used to keep uttering words like “I can’t do it” and “I wish I could achieve this thing. I wish I could be the class captain”, "I don't know how it is possible to win the competition" etc. These words paralyzed me more to achieve anything in life. 

From the moment I started using empowering words like “I will do it by hook or crook” and “I can finish this project on time” and “I will fulfill my dream” etc, my life took a new turn. These words were largely responsible for attracting prosperity and success in my life.

Thus, you should make the right choice with your words. Replace those hazardous self-doubting words with motivating words. Your words can either have a positive or a negative impact on your life. It is very important for all of us to realize the power of our words and act likewise.