I am on a quest to bring joy and happiness to my life and those around me. I love to study successful people to learn what their secret formula is for their own personal growth and happiness. During my research I kept hearing the same thing, a majority of people would incorporate a daily gratitude practice into their routine.

We are all friends here, so I am not going to lie to you. I only started practicing gratitude because all the “cool kids” were practicing gratitude. When I say “cool kids” I mean people like Oprah, Tony Robbins, and Beyonce. I had to see what the hype was all about.

Let me be straight. I did not get a boost of happiness on my first day of practicing gratitude. In fact, it looked more like this…

My Gratitude Practice Journey

Day One

• At first, I could not find three things to be grateful for.

After a few weeks

• My practice looked like it was taking shape. I found myself looking throughout the day for things that I could be grateful for. But I still did not feel any happier, so I felt like an imposter.

After a few months

• I had a moment while driving the kids to school, it was a small thing, listening to the boys laughing on a beautiful spring morning and realizing that I felt so lucky to be able to take them to school every morning. A rush of happiness hit me so hard I had to hold back tears of joy.

Today

• I receive moments of pure joy while doing the simplest of things. That is how I know this Gratitude Practice works!

5 Reasons Why You Will Want to Start A Gratitude Practice Today

“Gratitude turns what you have and who you are into enough”

So why are so many people jumping on the Gratitude bandwagon? The benefits go deeper than just making you feel happier. Studies have found that practicing gratitude daily can greatly affect your overall mental and physical health.

1. Appreciate life - When you are searching for people, places or actions to be grateful for you cannot help but appreciate all the good that is in your life. Too often we only see and remember the bad, your gratitude practice is helping you train your brain.

2. Improves self-esteem – When you feel better about your outer world you start to feel better about yourself. You may even start being grateful for yourself and the things that you are able to bring to others.

3. Improves your health – My unprofessional theory is that gratitude practices lead to lower stress which leads to:

a. Sleeping better

b. More likely to exercise

c. Feeling fewer aches and pains

d. Increasing your energy

4. Training your brain to look for the good instead of the bad which helps:

a. Strengthen your relationships

b. You make better decisions

c. Make you kinder

d. More relaxed and less likely to stress

5. IT MAKES YOU HAPPIER…Life becomes a gift to be treasured

5 Ways How to Practice Gratitude to Increase Your Happiness

Click to Download

We are all different. That means the way I practice gratitude might be different, then the way Beyonce practices Gratitude. The trick is finding not only the right method that brings you benefits, but also discovering the right time of day to practice. For me, I enjoy practicing first thing in the morning, others may be at the end of the day.

1. Keep a journal and write 1-3 things that you are grateful for

2. Start a gratitude challenge- {Freebie!}

3. At dinner, have each person share what they are grateful for

4. Practice a Gratitude Meditation –{Check this one out by Deepak Chopra}

5. As you are waiting (waiting in line, at a red light, for the kids to finish brushing their teeth) take those few moments to mentally list all the things you are grateful for.

My hope with this article is that you too are inspired to see what all the hype is about. To find a practice that works for you and that you can stick with for at least 30 days (90 days would be the best). You deserve to be happier, to see the beauty that is all around you, to see the joys in your life, and how others are helping support you on your journey. Be brave and try something new, stay curious, keep trying until you find what works for you, and love yourself on the journey.

Join in on the discussion!

Share with our tribe what you are most grateful for and why in the comments below!