The picture says "Typing... ... Gratitude", what does it mean?
Gratitude denotes an appreciation of kindness or showing thankfulness to someone or something. I have put the word "Typing" to show that gratitude is an endless and continuous feeling of appreciation towards self and others.
In this blog, I will be talking about The Power and Miracles of Gratitude combined with my Reflections on the article that I have read in Positive Psychology. The article is very detailed that it actually gives factual information about gratitude which were supported with studies and researches, that somehow leads me to think of aligning the facts stated into my own life.
This blog is somewhat personal but I am hoping that the things that I will be talking could be applicable to your own life.
Two Stages of Gratitude
Dr. Robert Emmons introduced two stages of Gratitude.
1st: acknowledgement of goodness in one's life.
2nd: recognizing that some of the sources of this goodness lie outside the self.
I made a simple illustration of the two stages of gratitude below. The small heart represents appreciating your self having your own life while the big heart represents appreciation of the good sources of gratitude that can be found outside yourself.
If I am going to evaluate the stages of Dr. Robert Emmons, I could say that he emphasizes that one needs to appreciate the goodness of his own life and also to acknowledge the things outside himself to live with gratitude.
This can be supported with the example below:
It was your alarm clock which wakes you up early in the morning. During the alarm, many things will happen:
- Snoozing the alarm for more minutes of sleep;
- Opening your eyes to meditate and to think what lies ahead of your for the day;
- Cramming since you will be late again in your work;
- Peacefully do your morning routines;
- Praying; or
- Your not breathing anymore (I hate to include this but it's true).
Having your life for that day is the 1st thing that you need to be thankful for. That life given by God is already a great motivator for you to move forward for that day. If your yesterday is not that good, then our God is giving you a second chance to do it better for today. If your yesterday is already great, then our God is giving you another day to appreciate what you have in your life. This could somehow explain the idea of Dr. Emmons on the first level: appreciating your own life.
Now, which of the things beside your bed that helps you appreciate your life? It could possibly be your alarm clock. While some are snoozing the alarm clock to extend good sleep for the next minutes, I am here, appreciating my alarm clock that is somehow a tool to remind me that "hey you're still alive! Be grateful!".
After stopping the alarm, you pray and you'll be preparing for your great day. You'll start the preparation with the warm smile of your family, good water, soap and shampoo for bath, clothes to wear, and even food to eat. The gentle touch of your tootbrushes and the coolness of the toothpaste could be even help you to feel that you are really alive!.
On a bigger perspective, if you go outside your house, you can see busy people walking in different journey of life with different struggles to face.
Those things and situations mentioned can be found outside yourself, that means you have different good sources of goodness outside yourself. Your recognition with those things will help you to live more with gratitude in your life.
We may be having different routines everyday but the fact that you can have different sources of goodness outside yourself is already well-motivating and is a great blessing that you should be thankful for.
Purpose of Gratitude: Its Power can Bring a Miracle
Personally, I have discovered the power of gratitude when I was still a sophomore in college. It started with my little diary containing my downfalls and heartaches.
That was afternoon when I was scanning my diary from start 'til the current page and I realized I was just the one who's making my life complicated.
Since then, I decided to write the best things that will happen every single day: the things that I need to be thankful for and that can motivate me to do more. And on the next day, I felt anew. It was really a "new me". In fact, I have started using #keepsmiling tags everytime I posts blogs in my other social media accounts. Furthermore, you can also found in my #selfintroduction that I advocate happiness and life contentment.
How can GRATITUDE change you?
These are the following reasons that I have realized as to how gratitude can change you to become a better individual:
1. APPRECIATION
Since you are more thankful of the life that you have and of the people or things that surrounds you, you will be more likely appreciate all those things: your life and and other sources (big or small).
If some people are pissed off by the bumper to bumper traffic here in my country, as a commuter, I see it as a great opportunity to evaluate myself. How? In that vexatious event, by simply looking at the eyes of the different people who are with me in a vehicle I can see that our lives are totally different. Some eyes may be worried and some may be happy. I may not know the real story behind those eyes but I know that I am still blessed having the life that I have right now.
I am not saying that my life is perfect and those acquaintances' lives are not. What I want to emphasize here is the power of gratitude: how it changed me as to how I look my life right now; It's not perfect but I know it's worth.
I am happy and thankful with my life and I am more happy and thankful seeing lives of different people.
Living with great appreciation to things will help you feel:
2. HAPPINESS
Happiness occurs when you are satisfied with something or someone. If you are appreciating the life that you have then, it has a great possibility that you will be contented on what you have.
Simply,
CONTENTMENT is equal to HAPPINESS
Being thankful on what you have will help you find contentment and happiness in your life.
What's your food today? It doesn't matter as long as you can still eat and you have foods to be eaten.
However, if satisfaction in life is not yet met by an individual, he will always find it without knowing that it is only inside his own heart.
Searching for contentment is not easy if you haven't known yourself well. Meaning, in order for you to find contentment and happiness you must know yourself first.
Start with yourself because everything starts within "YOU".
3. OPTIMISM
Would you agree with me if I'll say that if you are truly happy inside, you'll have a positive mind and heart. And if you have a positive mind and heart, you'll be optimistic in dealing with your daily life?
Teaching yourself to be thankful everyday, you'll always be reminded to get up amidst struggles that may occur some time in your life.
If a day is awful it is really helpful for you to meditate for 2 hours before sleeping and think of three things:
- What made you feel bad for today?;
- What are the things that you need to be thankful for, for today? (for sure you'll have hundreds of these if you start from small to big things). Because of being overwhelmed with the things that you need to be thankful for, think of the next step now;
- What will be your action plan for the next day? (today is not that good, will you still do it for tomorow? If not then, what will you do for tomorrow?)
After meditating, you pray before you sleep.
If you have resolved your problems with the use of gratitude last night, I am pretty sure that on the next day you can still wear again that optimism suit which can be found in your own heart and mind's closet.
To achieve optimism you must start being grateful. Being optimisitic everyday will always help you to be more motivated in your life.
Work and Life balance is not easy that is why you need great motivation. If you are an optimistic person then, it may be possible that you are a well-motivated person.
Motivation*** is your fuel to keep you moving forward while Optimism is your fuel's fuel to keep you brave enough in moving forward.
The best feeling of being optimistic and motivated is that when you are able to share that positivity to other people.
That means, it's worthy to start:
#keepsharing
#keepsmiling
#keepoptimistic
#keepmotivated
4. RELATIONSHIP
Since I have mentioned about transferring positive energy to other people. Then, it is just worthy to say that living with gratitude improves relationships.
How?
It creates relationship;
It builds relationship; and
It makes relationship better
What would you feel if you see simple smiles or hearing sweet thank you with warm hugs and sometimes with teardrops after doing good deeds?
What would you feel if you receive a simple card written with "Thank You" for all the things that you've done?
What would you feel after mending your relationship with the help of gratitude?
And what would you feel after showing gratefulness to others because you have lots of it inside your heart?
Gratitude is a virtue to be shared to the people who surrounds you to build and strengthen relationships. Share it and be excited for the result that's coming your way.
Gratitude has power be an instrument!
TAKE AWAY
Discover the things that surrounds you that you need to be thankful for.
If you find your life to be miserable, then find positivity in those miseries by looking on it as an opportunity to be thankful for having it in your life.
Inorder for an individual to live with gratitude, he/she must start with him/herself.
Gratitude is a powerful virtue.
One man whom we should be thankful the most is:
GOD!
QUOTE FOR THE DAY
"The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate." - Oprah
Did you learn something from this?
Feel free to share your own take aways or your comments and suggestions below
I will be very happy to hear your thoughts
Note: All photos are originally made by 
MY WORDS OF THANKS TO MY FAMILY, FRIENDS, STEEMIT COMMUNITY, and AQUAINTANCES!!!
Special thanks to sir 
for initiating the challenge. Thank you for the push and motivation sir.
for initiating the challenge. Thank you for the push and motivation sir.Daghang Salamat padulong sa buwan ug pabalik
Maraming Salamat patungong buwan at pabalik
Many Thanks to the Moon and Back
