The easy way to practice gratitude
Your attention is one of the most powerful tools that you have for your well-being. It's like a flashlight: it can illuminate things that bring you to a state of greater happiness.
Our attention is so important because our brains have a default negativity bias: they automatically pay more attention for things that are negative, or drift to actively anticipate what may go wrong. We need to train our attention in a different way, which will increase our joy.
Try This
You can easily shift your attention with one powerful question.
Ask yourself: "What's going right, right now?”
Point your flashlight at the good around you. Whatever you notice, try to keep shining the light on it for a moment or two, soaking up any good feelings that it gives you. Let yourself feel the joy for whatever it is, no matter how small or insignificant it might seem.
This is a question you can use multiple times in a day, whenever you remember. With time, it will become more natural and instinctive. You could also anchor it to an existing behavior: as you prepare meals, or leave a meeting, or get up from your desk, ask it of yourself. This simple question has the power to bring the good into focus.
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