Positive psychological research in to gratitude has now proven that keeping a gratitude journal for just a few weeks can increase your happiness and benefit your life for as much as 6 months afterwards.
I had a teacher once who would instruct runners as they were training for cross country running to “pump the arms, the legs must follow.” He would shout this command to encourage runners to improve on their times during training. I still use this incantation today when running to breakthrough the plateau and reach the next high…
I liken what this teacher said to the effects of being grateful and how they can be influenced by what you believe. By “pumping the arms” forward and backward, it doesn’t inevitably mean you are going to run faster, or even run at all. You can pump the arms, and be standing completely still.
However, when you integrate the idea of pumping your arms with the running and tell yourself that if you pump the arms, the legs will follow the pumping action, and see yourself running with full energy and enthusiasm to reach your goal, it can take your mind off the sensation of ache that comes from muscles being depleted of energy and requiring more oxygen and ATP, or any self doubt, and keep you focused on pumping the arms and moving forwards to the goal with strength, integrity and purpose…
In this way, by creating gratitude for anything in your life, from the smallest thing, even those things we take for grantid, and nurturing the good feelings of gratitude, the benefits that have been discovered by positive psychology must follow it reasons. Like pumping the arms, there is a component part of believing in what you are doing – a seed of faith may be required. One Master – Jesus Christ - referred to MUSTARD SEED worth of faith is far more than we need to take us to the top – more in fact than required to tell a mountain to move in to the sea I believe… —
Let’s take that analogy that the Divine Master used and slightly change it. Take for example the acorn. Imagine looking upon an acorn, and you do not know what it is, you do not know what it is called. It simply is, without labels. Give it water and nutrients though, give it warm sunlight and good soil, and it will attract to itself everything it requires to grow in to a huge and beautiful Oak tree, capable of producing many more of it’s own kind.
The same principle can be applied to you and to your mind. By being grateful – by actively and consciously cultivating the habit of gratitude – you are planting a seed that will attract unto itself everything it needs to grow and become a full expression of goodness. You will bear fruit of gratitude.
Gratitude is recommended in more than one major religion in the world. Read my Gratitudebook (http://www.gratitudebook.com) to find out more about the spiritual, psychological and metaphysical teachings on gratitude.
If you decide to keep a gratitude journal for instance, have a little faith that it is going to work too. Placebos can be effective – we know that from medicine. Why not lets take advantage of that information and generate even better results in our lives through practising the spiritual and now scientific principle of gratitude.
