How to Celebrate Gratitude
World Gratitude Day falls on September 21 of every year. It is the faultless opportunity to begin a habit of gratitude. When you view the world through a lens of gratitude, the world changes.
The idea for a ceremony day of appreciation began in 1965 in Hawaii during an international race dinner and it has been feasted on September 21st for the past 51 years.
A Definition of Gratitude; Thankfulness, Gratitude, Appreciation or Gratefulness is a feeling or attitude in acknowledgement of an assistance that one has obtained or will receive.
What good is Gratitude?
1. Gratitude allows celebration of the present and creates a vision for tomorrow.
2. Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
3. Gratitude blocks toxic emotions. (Envy, resentment, regret, depression)
4. People who practice gratitude are more stress resilient.
5. Gratitude strengthens social ties and self-worth.
Principles of Gratitude
1. Gratitude is independent of our objective life circumstance.
2. Gratitude is cultivated through sincere self-reflection.
3. Our deepest sense of gratitude comes through grace, with the awareness that we have not earned nor do we deserve all that we’ve been given.
4. Gratitude opens the heart, entitlement closes it. Feeling entitled is the opposite of feeling grateful.
5. We often take for granted what we receive on a daily basis.
Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The world is flawed. So are we. But we can change our piece of the world, we can change our internal conversations, and we can send out a ripple of possibility.
By giving thanks each day, we cast a light into the darkness, reminding ourselves and each other that goodness is never far away. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
Pausing to notice that something is pleasurable, is the secret to being happier. But you have to decide to notice. It really is a decision! Talk to yourself with the voice in your head. The voice in your head never stops, why not teach it to be an enthusiastic, grateful voice. It isn’t about loving stuff in a material way. It’s about having gratitude for all things, no matter how small.
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
- Charles Dickens
Today, I am thankful for the opportunity to share this with you. To recognise the perfection in the imperfection, and give thanks for another day to feel the wind on my face and the air in my lungs.
Make it a grateful day!
