What are you thankful for?

Starting your day off with some gratitude affirmations is a great way to remind yourself of all the wonderful things you have in your life. When you repeat aloud these affirmations of gratitude, you energize yourself and gain the courage to face the day and all of the frictions and adventures it may bring.

Affirming your gratefulness helps you recognize that you can have what you most want and need in order to reap the fulfilling life you deserve. Joy, money, love, and happiness are yours. You deserve it!

Affirmations are easy to do and they don’t take much time at all. In just a few minutes you can turbo charge your day better than a rocket-fueled cup of coffee ever could. By reflecting on your prosperity and abundance you’ll soar above your current highest high!

Gratitude Affirmations and Stress

Once you’ve worked affirmations into your morning (you can say them anytime again throughout the day or night, too) you’ll start to notice that your inner world is much less stressed.

When you have finally let it sink into your subconscious mind that you can have all that you need and desire, your stress will start to slip away. Your negative reactions are soothed and they slip away. You can now enjoy peace of mind and a sense of calm that you may never have known before.

12 Highly Effective Affirmations

1.    I feel an abundance of gratitude for everything I have and receive every day.
2.    My needs and desires are generously met. For this I am thankful.
3.    I am grateful for all the great health, love, and goodness that my life has revealed to me.
4.    I am continually amazed at how abundant my life is already!
5.    I am grateful for everything I experience in this lifetime. I overcome, I grow, and I prosper all the time. My abundant blessings, as well as my difficulties, all make me better, stronger, and more alive.
6.    I am so grateful for every person and every thing in my life.
7.    I appreciate everything I have and I show my sincerest gratitude to my loved ones.
8.    The universe pours joy into my life every day. It has my cup overflowing with wealth, health, and love.
9.    My life is singular, unique and wondrous. For this I am profoundly thankful.
10.    I clearly see the beauty of life that flourishes around me.
11.    I give gratitude for God’s endless treasures.
12.    I am grateful for my blessed ancestors living on through my blood.

Using the affirmations above along with your own will help you lead a less stressful and more fulfilling life.

Spending some time with positive affirmations, while appreciating all that you have and all that’s heading your way is one of the easiest “stress relief drugs” you’ll ever take. Yet, affirmations come with no ill side effects and they’re free. Choose peace in your life by using the power of affirmations and gratitude.

One of the most powerful phrases in the English language is "thank you."

With those two words, you can express appreciation for a kind gesture or service someone has done for you. These words have the power to make someone's day. When you want to go the extra mile in expressing gratitude, try one of these 13 ways to say "thanks."

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Try these gratitude expressions to get you going:


1.    Smile. Express your gratitude with a smile and the other person will almost always smile back. If that person is having a bad day, a smile could be just the thing that turns their day around.
2.    Send a note. If you're shy, you may find it easier to express yourself in writing. If writing intimidates you, simply write a short note expressing your gratitude. Your heartfelt words will mean more to the recipient than the most beautiful prose or poetry.
3.    Buy a unique gift. Look for a small item that you can give as a token of your appreciation. If you're unsure of what to get, try buying them coffee or sending them chocolates. You can also ask their friends for ideas.
4.    Invite them out. Say "thank you" with a dinner or time together doing something fun that you both enjoy.
5.    Share your story. Brag to others about what someone has done for you. They'll likely hear about how highly you're speaking of them. Better yet, brag about them to others in front of them. This will improve their reputation and their confidence at the same time.
6.    Offer a favor. Let the person choose what kind of favor they'd like from you. A small favor can often help someone out in a big way.
7.    Buy them a ticket to an event. Find a local concert or show that they would enjoy and buy them tickets.
8.    Contribute to a charity. Find out what your recipient is passionate about and then make a donation to an appropriate charity in their name.
9.    Add a personal touch. Say "thank you" with a homemade gift. The person will recognize your thoughtfulness and appreciate the gesture. You can hand craft a card or make a photo slideshow. Create something sentimental that truly shows your appreciation.
10.    Phone call. Sometimes a simple phone call is all you need to get your message across. In addition to a phone call to say "thank you," call on a regular basis to see how they're doing. Offer your friendship.
11.    Give them a "Gift of the Month." For someone who's always doing nice things for you, consider a gift subscription to their favorite magazine. You can also prepay for a subscription to a "book of the month" club that features books that interest them.
12.    Give a gift certificate. If you're having trouble figuring out the perfect thank you gift, consider a gift certificate to a local mall or online store that sells a variety of different merchandise. That way, they're sure to get something they like.
13.    Bake some cookies. If you love to bake, your talents can be a sweet way to show your gratitude. Everyone appreciate delicious, homemade desserts.
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The only limit is your imagination. If you go the extra mile to show someone you're genuinely grateful, the gesture will be remembered for a long time to come. Strengthen a significant relationship in your life today. Choose one of these ideas or come up with your own, and say "thank you" to someone special in a meaningful way.

In his poem, A Poison Tree, the great poet William Blake wrote, "I was angry with my friend. I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe. I told it not, my wrath did grow." 
 
When you suppress your feelings, both positive and negative ones, you're keeping yourself from being all that you can be. Not only that but if you internalize your emotions, you are growing into the very same ‘poisoned tree' that William Blake wrote about. 

Don't Plant the Poison Tree Seed

When you conceal your true feelings, there's an internal pressure that causes negative emotions like anger, resentment, fear, and hatred to swell up and take on more potential energy within you. The day always comes when those emotions explode outward because of the pressure. 

When this happens you might say things you don't mean that may cause deep pain to those you love the most. The possible negative actions and reactions that stem from your suppressed feelings could fill an entire notebook, which is all the more reason to express your feelings peacefully!
 
By honestly expressing your feelings you can diffuse the negative energy and immediately start feeling more peace within you. After all, you'll feel less stress, tension, and anger when all feelings are put out on the table. Expressing your feelings constructively will help you speak more sensitively and rationally and see the good within others. 

Gratitude Goes a Long Way in Expressing Yourself
 
Now, openly expressing your negative feelings doesn't mean you should go around putting others down and it also doesn't mean finger wagging or accusing. Instead, find a more constructive way to get things off your chest. You might find it's best for you to write your feelings down and send them off in an e-mail. If you have the creative ability, write a poem or a song about your feelings. Whatever you do, focus on the problem, not the person. After all, we all make mistakes!
 
If you think you can't be that open about your feelings, always express what you are thankful for first. For example, you can start with a positive compliment then gradually express your frustrations.

If you feel like you have nothing to be grateful for, you're not looking hard enough. There are plenty of joys within your life that your negative emotions often disguise. For example, did you have a nourishing breakfast this morning? Then you have something to be thankful for! Have you ever had a rewarding conversation with a loved one that made you see them with new eyes? Then you have something to be thankful for!

Focus on these positive, rewarding experiences first and foremost, then express your feelings openly and honestly. With an attitude of gratitude for all that you have, you will feel confident in your right to express how you feel. 
 
In his poem, why did Blake readily tell his anger to his friend? He cared about his friend and was grateful to have him, so he wanted to diffuse his anger right away. However, when it came to Blake's foe, he was not so grateful and, instead, suffered greatly as he became a poison tree within his soul.

Remember, your spirit remains within you and affects how you think, feel, and act. So seek peace within your heart and mind with the power of gratitude!

Abundance surrounds you in many ways. Regardless of your station in life, there are many things that gratify you. What are you thankful for? Take a moment to ponder them.


Consider the ways that having gratitude makes your life better:

1. You’ll be more enthusiastic. Research shows that when subjects recorded what they were thankful for in a journal on a regular basis, they reported having a larger sense of enthusiasm for their life than those who didn’t write about their gratitude. Acknowledge your gratitude. You’ll be glad you did!
2. You’ll feel more determined to achieve your goals. When you take notice of the good things you have, you’re more likely to put your nose to the grindstone and keep working for whatever else you desire.
3. Your level of optimism will soar. According to several studies, those who documented what they were thankful for were much more positive about how their life was going and how it would proceed. Being optimistic will fuel your passion to construct the life you deserve.
4. Energy levels increase. If you have gratitude, you’ll have more energy to create the life you desire. Being aware of what you’re thankful for galvanizes your efforts to discover all that your life can be.
5. You’ll pay more attention. Being thankful ensures you’ll be more alert and aware of how your life is going, what you’re doing, and how you can continue to build the life you seek.
6. Levels of stress drop. As you live a life of gratitude, things that used to stress you out will lose their power. Instead, you’ll be entrenched in the wonderful world you’re living in.
7. You’ll feel more content with life. Those who consciously have gratitude experience reduced levels of depression.
8. You’ll exercise more. Those who show a sense of thankfulness had higher reports of exercising more than those who weren’t keeping a gratitude journal.
9. Providing aid to others will come easier to you. When you notice all the positive things surrounding you, you’ll reach out to help others more often. When your soul is flooded with light and positivity, you’ll feel more like being there for others.
10. You’ll discover the life you truly want. As unusual as it may sound, the research about gratitude indicates that those who have thankfulness in their hearts are more likely to achieve their goals. As your thankfulness grows, your dream life is built.

Open your eyes to the bounties that grace your world. When you do, you’ll live a more fulfilling life. Allow yourself to feel passion about the color of the fall leaves, the peacefulness of the snow falling, or the beauty of the blue sky. Notice the feel of a warm coat against your skin or the love in your child’s hug. Maybe you’re even grateful for that first cup of morning coffee.


Get started today on your own gratitude journal. Write about everything that you’re grateful for. As you begin to give thanks, you’ll find your dreams coming true.