3450: Why Living a Life of Gratitude Can Make You Happy by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits on Gratitude Practice

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[00:00:57] This is Optimal Health Daily. Why living a life of gratitude can make you happy. By Leo Babauta of zenhabits.net. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your host and narrator. Hey there, happy middle of the week Wednesday and welcome back to Optimal Health Daily, where I simply read to you from the best health and fitness blogs for free. Now, on Fridays, I answer your questions. Remember, you can go to oldpodcast.com slash ask to send in a question.

[00:01:25] Or, you can email your question directly to health at oldpodcast.com. Now, today is Wednesday and like I do every Wednesday, I like to share a little bit of inspiration with you. So with that, here we go. Quote, The only way you grow is by being able to acknowledge the mistakes you've made. Doris Kearns Goodwin Alright, and with that, let's get right to today's post and start optimizing your life.

[00:01:58] Why living a life of gratitude can make you happy. By Leo Babauta of zenhabits.net. Many days, I try to humble myself and hold a two-minute gratitude session. I simply sit or kneel with no distractions, close my eyes, and think about what I'm grateful for, and who I'm grateful for. I don't do it every day, but let me tell you, on the days I do it, it makes me very happy. Why should that be?

[00:02:25] Why should the simple act of thinking about who and what I'm grateful for make such a big difference in my life? Just a few reasons. 1. Because it reminds you of the positive things in your life. It makes you happy about the people in your life, whether they're loved ones, or just a stranger who you met but was kind to you in some ways. 2. Because it turns bad things into good things. 3. Having problems at work? Be grateful you have work.

[00:02:53] Be grateful you have challenges and that life isn't boring. Be grateful that you can learn from these challenges. Be thankful they make you a stronger person. 3. Because it reminds you of what's important. It's hard to complain about the little things when you give thanks that your children are alive and healthy. It's hard to get stressed out over paying bills when you are grateful there is a roof over your head. 4. Because it reminds you to thank others.

[00:03:21] I'll talk about this more, but the simple act of saying thank you to someone can make a big difference in that person's life. 5. Calling them, emailing them, stopping by to say thank you, just taking that minute out of your life to tell them why you are grateful toward them is important. People like being appreciated for who they are and what they do. It costs you little, but makes someone else happy. And making someone else happy will make you happy.

[00:03:49] What do I give thanks for privately in my little gratitude session? Well, it varies every day. I thank all the readers of my website for the encouragement you have given me. For the donations you've made that have made me that much closer to realizing my dreams. For the criticism you've given that has made this site better. For the time you've given me. Just reading the articles when you have the chance. I thank my loved ones for all they do for me. I thank strangers who've shown me little acts of kindness.

[00:04:17] I thank God for the life I've been given. I thank people around the world for the things they've done to make the world better. I thank myself for the things that I've done. It's important to recognize your own accomplishments. How to live a life of gratitude. The thing is, simple acts of gratitude don't cost you much, especially once you get over the initial discomfort some people feel with thanking others. But they can make a huge difference. If you're interested in living a life of gratitude, here are my suggestions.

[00:04:49] 1. Morning gratitude session. Take 2-3 minutes each morning to give thanks to whoever and whatever you're grateful for. You don't have to do anything, other than close your eyes and silently give thanks. This one act can make a huge difference. 2. Say thank you. When someone does something nice for you, however small, try to remember to say thank you and really mean it. 3. Call to say thanks.

[00:05:18] Sometimes you might think about something nice that someone did for you. Perhaps you remember during your gratitude session. When you do, pick up the phone and call the person just to say thanks. Let them know what they did that you're grateful for and why you appreciate it. It takes just a minute or two. If it's too early to call, make a note to call later.

[00:05:39] 4. Give thanks for negative things in your life. There are always two ways to look at something. Many times we think of something as negative. It's stressful, it's harmful, sad, unfortunate or difficult. But that same thing can be looked at in a more positive way. Giving thanks for those things is a great way to remind yourself

[00:06:07] that there is good in just about everything. Problems can be seen as opportunities to grow and to be creative. 5. Learn a gratitude prayer. There are many prayers, religious or not, that can remind you to be grateful. Find one you like and print it out or make it your desktop wallpaper. You can find many on the internet or write your own. If you're not religious, make one that doesn't include the concept of God.

[00:06:34] Let me leave you with a prayer of gratitude that I've always found, well, perfect. Be thankful. Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to? Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn. Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times, you grow. Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.

[00:07:02] Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character. Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons. Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference. It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

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[00:09:17] Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Dr. Neal here with my commentary. One of the most influential talks I've ever heard was a TED talk by Sean Achor, a former faculty member at Harvard University and a best-selling author. Now, Dr. Achor's research is all about positive psychology. And one of the habits he says helps increase our overall feelings of happiness

[00:09:43] is what today's author, Leo Babauta, mentioned in today's article, expressing gratitude. Dr. Acor says that the power behind expressing gratitude is that it changes the way we see the world. With time and practice, the brain starts to interpret the events we experience very differently. So just as Leo said in today's article, instead of getting frustrated or discouraged because of something we initially think of as negative,

[00:10:11] by expressing gratitude for the things that are going well and the things we do have, changes the brain and body in how it interprets negative events. So instead of dwelling on the negative, we shift our thinking and focus on the positive. That happens by expressing gratitude. So over time and with practice, the brain will start to seek out positive experiences.

[00:10:38] And that means we've now become more positive and grateful. So even as Leo said in today's article, if it's just two minutes a day of expressing gratitude, again, over time, that can change the way we see the world. All right, that'll do it for today. I hope you have a great Wednesday. Thank you so much for listening. And of course, I'll be back here tomorrow as usual. So I'll see you there where your optimal life awaits. Here's the first time you count to consider. Let's do that. Thank you.