Nothing Before Gratitude
What comes before gratitude? Nothing. This is because gratitude is the precursor to everything. Without it, you can’t feel happiness. And without happiness, you cannot enjoy success.
While we all have our own unique definitions of success, the one thing that is universal is the fact that it fills us with content and satisfaction. This is a place we cannot reach without expressing gratitude and being thankful for what we have and the opportunities we’ve been given. Because when you can’t find something to be grateful for in moments of darkness, there’s little chance you will ever find the light.
The road to success is rarely a smooth one. It will be filled with obstacles blocking the way, naysayers trying to poison you with their negativity, and detours that take you off your path. You will encounter things that will be beyond your control. Your passion, perseverance, and resolution will be tested. And your self-esteem and self-confidence will take a beating.
All this negativity can be enough to send us into depression and feeling as though we are farther from reaching our goal than when we started. However, when you live a life of gratitude, you are able to see life’s silver linings. You can separate the light from the dark, and you can find joy in times that seem desperate.
When times are tough, it’s often hard to find something to be thankful for. To strengthen gratitude in your life, you need to make a habit of practicing it. The next time you are met with a challenge, find a positive angle. Focus your attention on what is good rather than what’s wrong. Counteract your negative feelings and replace them with positivity.
Start every morning with acknowledging something you are grateful. And end your day with recognizing something that may have happened that day that filled you with happiness and content. When you make it a habit to start and close each day with gratitude, you find that it becomes a part of who you are. And you start to feel empowered to face challenging times. Because when you are able to count your blessings, you can take any situation and control how it affects you. No longer will you give it the power to make you feel weak and defenseless.
When you weave acts of gratitude in everything you do and make it part of your daily routine, you discover something to be thankful for every day. And when you end each day with gratefulness in your heart, you are pushing yourself closer and closer to achieving your goal without even realizing it.
Because when you practice gratitude regularly, you are celebrating all the small wins. And recognizing all the victories, no matter how small, are essential to maintaining your momentum and maintaining perspective.
Living a life of gratefulness means accepting every setback as an opportunity to learn and improve. Being grateful means achieving more because you’re not focusing on what you lack but more on what you have. By practicing gratitude, you’re choosing to change the narrative and rewriting a tragedy and giving it a happy ending.
Dr. Yashima White Azilove
I am an international speaker, certified coach and skilled consultant with over 20 years of corporate brand communications executive experience in the media, entertainment, healthcare and financial service industries. I now use my expertise in brand communications to ELEVATE audiences, corporations, celebrity/talent and faith organizations.