Did you know that most of us suffer from a condition called “negative bias”, which is the natural human tendency to pay more attention to negative emotions than positive ones? Studies suggest that we need to experience three times as many positive emotions as negative ones to tip the scales towards positivity and happiness.
This is why gratitude is such an important practice. Taking a little bit of time each day to focus on what is good about your life and what you are thankful for helps fill you with positive emotions, making you a happier and more positive person in general.
But gratitude has even more potential. It can help you figure out and focus on what is important in your life.
This matters because studies show that we are more likely to feel negative, stressed, and burnout when we try to do everything and focus on the “noise”. We tend to be more productive, successful, and fulfilled when we focus on what really matters and learn to say no to things that are unimportant.
But how exactly can gratitude help you to identify and stay focused on the important things?
Gratitude can help you identify what matters to you
When you sit down at the end of the day and think about what you are grateful for, it is a good idea to be spontaneous and say or write down whatever comes into your head first. The idea is that this is an instinctive rather than analytical response.
- You are much more likely to say that you are grateful for the time that you spent with your children or the great conversation that you had with your partner than the fact that you were the last out of the office or managed to clear your emails before bed.
- You might also say that you were grateful for the opportunity to help a colleague complete a challenging task, but not feel strongly about spending energy on a routine piece of work that forms a large portion of your job.
- You might write down that you enjoyed the fact that your roommate was out of town and you had the house to yourself tonight, but not mention the very expensive shoes that you wear to work today.
- You might think about and be grateful for how relaxed and recharged you felt after an evening yoga session, but the three coffees that you drank throughout the day don’t register.
As you keep a record of what you are grateful for each day over time, clear patterns will emerge. You may realize that time with the people you love is more fulfilling for you than your career, or identify elements of your job that you are more passionate about and wish you could spend more time on. You may realize that creating a comfortable home has become more important to you than having the latest designer clothes.
SEE ALSO: 5 Ways to Embrace Gratitude As A Habit
Consider how you spend your time
When you look back at what you have been grateful for and what matters, you should also consider how you spend your time. If you consider time as a budget, you want to be spending most of your income on the things that bring you joy, happiness, and fulfilment. But if there is a disconnect between what is important to you and what you are actually doing, this may explain why you don’t always feel your best.
Ideally, practicing gratitude and looking at your time budget should give you both the information that you need and the motivation to make some changes. You might start setting better boundaries for when you are working and when you are with family, or decide to reduce your shopping habit so that you can start saving for your own home.
SEE ALSO: Tap Into the Power of Gratitude and strength Everyday
Use Gratitude to stay accountable
Often, we commit to changes, such as leaving the office by 5pm and not checking emails in the evenings, with the best of intentions, but it is all too easy to fall back into the same habits. But a daily gratitude practice can help keep you accountable.
As you consider what you are grateful for, you can also consider whether you really made those things a priority throughout your day. Checking in on yourself can help you refocus and recommit every day to prioritizing the things that are important.
Want to help Support this and other valuable content creation? Head over to my page on Buy Me A Coffee and show your support with a small donation. Be sure to leave a comment, so I can personally express my appreciation!
