Gratitude

One of my favorite topics in life is Gratitude. I am a HUGE advocate of having gratitude in your daily practice. I have been known to shout it out, "Gratitude is my attitude." We actually discuss all the benefits and ways to incorporate it into your life on this week's podcast episode of "Glow Brighter with Toni". Click the Podcast tab on this website to listen directly here! I talk specifically about this pic seen here and why my arms are so important to me.

I remember hearing about having a gratitude practice through watching The Oprah Winfrey Show in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She distinctly said that each day she writes five things that she is grateful for each day. I thought I can do that and thus began my practice for almost twenty years. When you are in a state of gratitude, you seriously cannot be in a negative space. If you want to change up your attitude or perspective, then gratitude is a shining way to go.

Using gratitude in your daily life is all about acknowledging and showing appreciation for things, people, etc around you. It is a simple practice but often overlooked when we may be in a state of unhappiness or anger. For Lent the year that coincided within months after my divorce, my practice for the 40 days was to write a letter to someone in my life and express my gratitude to them for helping me, supporting me, inspiring me, or making me laugh. Yes, I even wrote one to my ex-husband. I also wrote one to the guy who sold me my car. No one was off limits. Once I wrote the letter, I would send in the good ole USPS to them. The greatness thing about doing a gratitude letter everyday was the gift of giving to others in words of appreciation and all that energy that I was showering them with reminding me about how grateful I am to have them in my life. Also, an unexpected benefit, some of the recipients contacted me and said how much it impacted them to receive. It is a double gift!