Spotting the little things

World Gratitude Day this month - 21st September.

More and more I am hearing about the healing powers of gratitude.  I am a firm believer, but recently saw that it was being spoken about at a trauma event.  I feel the evidence has become so much that a regular sustained gratitude practice can really have such a positive impact.  It has been shown many times to change the neural pathways in our brain.

When we think of something enough, or often, it starts to form a pathway in our brain, just like when we take a path through some grass.  If we were to regularly walk that exact path, or repeat those beliefs in our mind then we will create a pathway, and this pathway will continue to deepen and be carved out.

However with a regular practice, we can start diverging off that original path, and creating another one.  One that, thanks to the gratitude, helps us create more positive outlooks, beliefs, patterns, habits.

And then the positive ripple starts spreading out, and after a while we know no other way, we are spotting things left, right and centre, that we are grateful for, and the best bit?  Gratitude is about keeping it small.  What are the small things right now that you are grateful for?  Here's ten of mine right away....

My heater
Cosy couch
My dinner (mine always involves food)
Great conversation this afternoon
Dried washing
Time to relax today
Family time
Someone remembering how I like my tea
Kind words
A change to blog.

Look around, what are you grateful for?

Author: Liz, our Life Coach