Gratitude And Appreciation

Gratitude and appreciation are the basis of happiness. Without them, happiness is relatively impossible. We all need to be more grateful for what we already have. When we do that, we shift our focus. We become more positive and less negative. We see life as being amazing, not scary and unknown. I have a few tips for cultivating gratitude and appreciation into your life.
We are all capable of acknowledging and being grateful for the good and beautiful things in our lives. We can even be grateful for the bad things in our lives. There are many ways to incorporate gratitude into your life. My personal favorite is a gratitude list. A gratitude list is a written list of everything, big or small, in your life.
Some examples include, your home, food, clothes, friends, and family. Oreo cookies count, too. The point of a gratitude list is to find every little thing and show appreciation for it. You can do a mental gratitude list, also. I do one every morning before I get out of bed. It sets the tone for my day and I feel more at peace all day. Every morning, think of ten things you are grateful for.
Appreciation is very important. We need to appreciate what we have. There are many things and people in our lives that deserve appreciation. My favorite appreciation exercise is appreciation letters. I send appreciation letters to people in my family. I used old fashioned pen and paper. Why do you appreciate them? Why do you look up to them? Why are they important to you? When you are done, place it in an envelope and mail it. Wouldn't you be so happy to receive one of these in your mailbox? I know I would. They are a very nice way to show appreciation for someone.
You need to cultivate appreciation and gratitude for yourself. Be grateful for who you are. You are a unique, beautiful person and you deserve your own love. There will never be another person exactly like you, ever. That is a powerful thought. You should be grateful for the person you are. You are genuinely a good person.
Take time to appreciate the little things. A flower, a smile, a kind word, or a cup of nice, hot tea are all great things to be appreciative of. When we stop to think of our whole day, there are a ton of things to be appreciative of. We only need to acknowledge them.
I am a very appreciative and grateful person. They are very good traits to have. The good news is that you can develop these traits if you don't have them. They are not hard and they are very beneficial to happiness and your life. I really hope you take my advice and do these things to improve your outlook on life.

Author's Bio: 

BIO
Brittany Gunderson is an author. She has been in a few abusive relationships in the past and is a Domestic Violence Survivor. She spends time telling people about gratititude, appreciation, and happiness. She is very good at listening and being there for people. She is a happiness/mental health life coach. Her email is brittany.lee.gunderson@gmail.com You can find her on twitter at twitter.com@BLG2011MOMOF2. Her videos are on youtube.