Updated from November 24, 12016

I love this blog post and decided to update it in honour of today’s U.S. Thanksgiving holiday by adding a new gratitude meditation below.

I’m sharing how a daily practice of gratitude can change your life, even in tough times. When I say gratitude I mean going above and beyond saying “Please” and “Thank you”. While those are still acts of kindness and thankfulness, gratitude goes deeper.

Gratitude is a profound practice that can bring more joy and peace into your life.  For over 2,000 years, sages and philosophers from every spiritual tradition, and even physicists (Albert Einstein!) have lived a life cultivating gratitude as the key to experience deeper levels of happiness, fulfilment, and well-being.

Practicing gratitude is about consciously shifting your perspective to remain grateful even when things are not going your way and when you experience challenging times.  When you can find the lesson and silver lining in setbacks and tragedy, and for aspects of your life which (on the surface) appear to be negative, this is a practice of gratitude. When you can think outside yourself , your own experience and start to feel the connection, the love, and the ebb and flow of the universe, this is a gratitude practice.

This ultimately brings your awareness into the present moment where you begin to trust that life is working FOR YOU, not against you. You’re part of the universe and the universe will provide what you need, but first you have to take time and develop the practice of being grateful for what you already have.

With this renewed perspective you raise your energetic vibration, increase your self-esteem and feeling of self-worth. You’ll feel more empowered and ready to move forward with more confidence than ever before. There are psychological benefits too such as decreased anxiety, lower chances of depression and the ability to cope with tragedy.

Research has found that people who practice gratitude meditation regularly have lower blood pressure, better immunity, and a generally improved mood.

I encourage you to start each day in gratitude and focus on your life “being” positive to co-create more positivity. Here’s how you can start to find gratitude, even in tough times:

• Start and end your day in peace with your gratitude journal.
• First thing in the morning before getting out of bed, write three things you’re grateful for.
• Write each as a sentence. For example,  “I’m so thankful/blessed/grateful for…because…”.
• Close your eyes and bring your right hand over your heart, left hand over your lower belly.
• Say each sentence, out loud or silently to yourself, and at the end add “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
• Speak slowly as you visualise and really feel into what it is you’re grateful for.
• Then last thing in the evening, before going to bed write three things you’re grateful for.
• Repeat as above.
• Try not to repeat and instead come up with new things, people, or places to be thankful for. You’ll be surprised! There are countless!
• Do this practice for 40 days.

These can be anything from the air that you breathe, the mailman that delivers your daily mail, to your legs that always get you where you need to be, or your parent that provided and did the best they could. Any acknowledgement of giving thanks is practice of gratitude. Experience the most beautiful synchronicities as you focus on the many acts of love and kindness you’ve received and continue to receive every day. Start living a life full of gratitude to bring abundance in all areas of your life, from health, to career and work to personal relationships.

Still feeling stressed, sad or anxious about something in your life?

Still unsure how to make gratitude a daily habit in your life? I have a gift for you 🙂

Click below to receive your free guided gratitude meditation from me.

It’s my passion as a coach to empower others with the freedom and tools to embrace change and live a more meaningful life. If you’re interested in exploring what that would look like then let’s talk.

As always, I’d love connecting with you and hear what you’re grateful for this year or how you did with the gratitude practice above. Head over to the comments section below to share your thoughts.

Much love and many blessings,
Leslie xx

P.S. Join my FREE private community On Purpose Collective so you can connect with a global group of like-minded people and where I facilitate live weekly & multi-day trainings.