What is Gratitude?
Gratitude can be described a few ways, but my favorite way is to think of gratitude as a feeling. It is about the appreciation of everything and nothing all at the same time. It is the feeling that we feel in our hearts not just the things that we say and do, but the feeling that we experience when we are grateful. I define gratitude as:
A practice of serene, benevolent, present-moment awareness that allows us to experience a feeling of oneness. ~ Natalie Alesi
It is the feeling in our hearts that allows us to extend this positive energy out to the world. It is from our space of appreciation and gratitude that we summon the positive energy for all that is good.
When we find ourselves complaining about what we don’t have, are unable to get, or are unhappy about, we summon the energy of what we don’t want rather than invoke the energy of what we do want. This is a fundamental truth of the universe. You may have heard the phrase, “You catch more bees with honey than you do with vinegar.” 
When we show appreciation in the midst of disappointment, that is where our power lies. ~ Natalie Alesi
The 3 Steps
So understanding this, we find ourselves daily in situations where we complain or speak negatively and it happens to all of us. But with a gratitude practice, it can help lessen the amount we complain or speak negatively and allow us to truly focus on the blessings in our life.
- Begin each day with a grateful heart: As soon as you begin your morning routine – drinking coffee or taking a shower, on the way to work, driving, wherever you have time to process your thoughts, begin with feelings of gratitude – think of all the things you have in your life that are are grateful for, friends, clothes, a running car, a bed, warm water, clean sheets, nice shoes, etc.
The practice of feeling gratitude does not have to be for the big things, its actually the little things that we can find being grateful for that truly allow us to see all the blessings in our life.
2. Write down your gratitude thoughts: as you begin to think of what you are grateful for, write it down in a gratitude journal. This journal can be by your bed side or perhaps by your desk at work, or even in the bathroom! The point of having it is to keep it near to write down what you are grateful for day after day, week after week, month after month.
The really amazing thing about writing down your gratitude thoughts is that when you are feeling negative or complaining or stressed or anxious you can pull out your journal and read all that you have written. It will instantly shift your vibe to a positive mindset. And if you’re not one for writing, you can use the voice memos app on your phone to record your thoughts and ideas. There are also many apps as well that allow you to practice gratitude daily. Here are a few of the ones i’ve used: headspace, unique daily affirmations, and ThinkUp.
Plus, starting a gratitude practice also has health benefits. Studies have shown that practicing gratitude is said to lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety as well as improved sleep.
3. Repeat this practice daily: creating a routine where you purposely become aware of your thoughts and intentionally begin to feel gratitude is the key to activating abundance. In my new eBook, You Can Shift Your Vibe to Feel Good Now, I talk about steps you can take to invoke the positive shifts into your life and gratitude is one of the key steps.
Keep Going
It can be a bit of a challenge at first to get going on the gratitude change, but I promise you, if you stick with it, your life will change for the better. And while we can indulge from time to time with complaining and negative thoughts, we must refocus to bring ourselves back to this practice.
I started this practice many years ago and it has changed my life. Have you started a gratitude practice? What else would you add to this list of steps?
With healing love,
Natalie
