GRATITUDE – The quality of being thankful: readiness to show appreciation. Gratitude is a word that seems simple but ignored by a lot of people in the world today, everybody seems to have an idea of what it means to show gratitude but how many people really express or show it. The more gratitude you express, the more the supply comes.

A whole lot is going on in our time, people are losing their lives, losing jobs, there’s immense hardship, suffering and strife all over the world. How often do you take out time to say a prayer of gratitude for the life you have and how far you have come? I want you to personalize this article and start asking yourself questions. How grateful are you? Things may not be going your way or as planned but all hope isn’t lost, a wise man once said

         “when there’s life, there’s hope.”

There was a period in my life when I always got grumpy and so depressed just because a plan I had been pursuing failed, those times I was so ungrateful, I was always questioning God and kept asking for reasons I should be grateful, even if there was guilt eating me up in my conscience telling me not to feel that way and showing me brighter days. I had to consciously make an effort to move out of that space for my mental health. I learnt over time that gratitude is a lifestyle, you can consciously develop it as a habit then it becomes a lifestyle. There are a million and one things to be grateful for, if I start listing it, this will be a very long read.
Gratitude is so powerful, it is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. In reality, giving thanks can make you happier. Our relationship with others is the greatest determinant of our happiness so it makes sense to think of other people as we build our gratitude. Having a gratitude journal goes a long way, it helps you pen down everything you’re grateful for, step by step, minute by minute but if it’s starting to feel stale you can switch it up. Create a gratitude jar, piece down your grateful moments, like I said earlier it doesn’t have to be something very much, just the little things that mean the most to you and that showed you that God came through, decide on when you’ll open the jar to read everything you wrote down so far, you can decide to open it every new year’s eve or every Christmas. At the end of the day, the main aim is making gratitude a lifestyle and being thankful for every step of your journey.